'Any Day, I Would Give My Right Hand To Captain India'

On the eve of his 113th and final Test match in Nagpur, Sourav Ganguly insists he's at peace, that his last Test match didn't mean more to him than the 112 he'd played over the last 12 years or so. Ganguly elicits extreme emotions across the spectrum and time zones, particularly in Australia where they both detest and respect him for getting under the skins of their cricketers. Ganguly spoke to Rohit Mahajan about his career and future plans.

Full text of the interview, excerpts from which appear in print

You were picked up at a very early age and then dropped equally suddenly.Did that shape your philosophy as captain?

I didn't even think about it then. But when I became captain, yes. When I gotpicked up in 1996, I realised, when I came back to India, that if I had not donewell in that debut Test at the Lord's, I'd never have played cricket for Indiaagain. Luckily, I didn't know that during the series. I couldn't have playedcricket like that, nobody can play like that. You need to give everybody a fairopportunity, let them play with peace in mind if they are to perform. You haveenough to think about on the field – somebody bowling at you at 90 miles anhour, and someone spinning the ball right across the stumps. You have to combatthat, you cannot afford to worry about whether you will ever play again if youfail, whether you'd get another chance… As a captain, I had rules – that youwon't be picked up easily, but if you're picked up, you'd get a fair chance.Five games, seven games. I'd tell them that this is what I'd expect of them inthose games. Nobody can get runs or wickets from their first match. Very fewplayers just come and score a hundred on their Test debut. Everybody needs timeto settle down.

You became captain in difficult times. Sachin Tendulkar had given upcaptaincy, and then the match-fixing scandal happened.

Well, India suddenly produces captains out of nowhere. When Sachin left, Ibecame captain. Similarly, when Rahul (Dravid) retired, we got Dhoni fromsomewhere. Dhoni was not supposed to be captain. Somehow, these good thingshappened unplanned. I was happy when I became captain, of course! Honoured. Canyou imagine, I'd been going to the Eden Gardens right from early childhood. Thefirst time I went there, my father was the CAB secretary. When Tony Greig cameover with the England team as captain, I was five years old… and from there on,I used to go to the Eden and watch every match. People like Gavaskar, Kapil Dev,Viswanath, Vengsarkar… And then suddenly, you're asked to lead the same Indianteam! It's a huge feeling.

Exactly what kind of feeling?

A different feeling, pride and happiness. I was the vice-captain, so it wasnot unexpected to me after Sachin gave up captaincy, yet the first time I was tolead India, I was so excited I could not sleep. I was thinking, I have to go totoss tomorrow, first time as India captain… a different feeling. You cannotexplain that in words.

How did you handle the match-fixing controversy?

I didn't really have to do anything, for there was very little cricket forIndia for maybe six months, and I was playing county cricket in England. Ididn't even know all that was happening, and everything was handled by people inthe Indian cricket board.

Captaincy also brought pressures, and your game suffered.

Pressure is part and parcel of the game. Yes, at the later stages probably mybatting was affected. I went on to captain India for five to five-and-a-halfyears, and so at the later stages the average dropped down. From that point ofview, it wasn't nice… but I would any day give my right had to be captain theteam.

Despite the pressures, the criticism?

Yes, because it's a huge honour. Criticism is part of sport, I'll becriticised even now if I don't play well. It cannot just go away, you just haveto find a way to perform.

You also made a reputation of spotting young talent and backing them...

I somehow managed to pick up the right players. I always looked at people outof the field too, rather than just somebody playing the game. I looked atmatchwinners. People like Sehwag, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Dhoni, Yuvraj in One-daycricket. 

And you were refreshing in the sense that regionalism in selection wasnever a factor with you.

Don't know about the past, but me, I never thought about that. I had to pickup the best player for India.

Were there any pressures from the selectors, to favour any players?

No, never. From my own region, in any case, there were no players who couldhave played for India. The selectors would push for certain player, of course,because they've seen a lot more of players from their own zones. When I was inthe meetings, I just picked up the players on the basis of how good he was.

What were the factors why India did well abroad under you?

Quality of players – players like Dravid, Tendulkar, myself, Kumble, Viru,Harbhajan. The captain is as good as the team, it's just the quality of theplayers. We had probably the best middle order in the history of Indian cricket.

But we've had great players in the past too, and yet never won abroad.

I don't know why that happened. Perhaps we had more confidence, we realisedthat we had to win abroad to really leave a mark, that it was more important todo well away from our own conditions. I think people earlier didn't have theconfidence also.

Now, Greg Chappell. You went to him for tips in Australia in 2003, butwhen he became coach, the relationship soured.

Yes, it did when he became the coach. He really did help my batting and I gota century. But when he came to India, I felt that he was given wrong impressionsby people outside.

You think he was misled?

Must be, into believing whatever he believes.

You were removed from captaincy and then dropped. Is there no bitterness?

None at all.

How's that possible?

Of course it's possible! You cannot keep fighting all your life. In any case,I don't see him any more. I don't interact with him anymore, so that situationdoesn't come at all. He's away in Australia, I'm in India.

There was a picture of you together in Mohali…

It was at the ground. I had announced my retirement (in Bangalore), and hejust said hello. I've got nothing about it left in my mind. It's past.

When you came back into the team two years ago, you seemed to be playingvery fluently, as if you'd never gone away.

Yes, I feel I've batted my best these last two years, except for the seriesagainst Sri Lanka. I honestly feel that I've batted my best in Test cricket, andit has been under pressure. I've got runs everywhere – in Johannesburg inSouth Africa (2006), in Nottingham in England when we needed a partnership towin, at the Oval when we were 11 for three (2007). We wouldn't have lost theTest match there, of course, but we definitely were under pressure. Then lastyear at Bangalore against Pakistan after we were 60 odd for three; in Kanpuragainst South Africa earlier this year; and in this series, in Mohali againstAustralia, we were 160 for four.

You looked as fluent as ever. How do you account for that? You've workedhard on your fitness as well?

It's just that I've batted as well as I've ever done. Previously also I usedto work on my fitness…. I did whatever I am required to do, to stay fit. I'mnot getting younger, and I had to work to get my reactions going really well onthe field.

What was the motivation to come back into the team? Was there an idea ofgetting back at Chappell, or proving a point?

No. I just wanted to play for India. I still believed I had cricket left inme, and I wanted to perform. I wanted to play 100 Test matches, I wanted to play300 One-day games, I wanted to be part of the team that went to the World Cup inthe West Indies last year. I felt I was good enough. You can't play cricket ifyou play only with the idea of proving things to someone.

You were dropped from the One-day team earlier this year. How difficultwas that?

Very disappointing, because I thought I'd had a wonderful year in One-daycricket. I had averaged 47. My One-day record is one of the best in the world.But then I also understood that they had to pick a team for the future. It's apolicy to pick up a team for the World Cup.

Yes, and you also had to make some hard decisions as captain? Possibly thedropping of VVS Laxman for the 2003 World Cup?

Yes, but that was not on the basis of age. We just could not fit him in theOne-day team. It was a hard decision, because Laxman always was an outstandingplayer. But we had to do it.

You don't want your best players leaving at the same time. This was thefear that might happen here with your bunch, so what's the solution?

This the selectors have to decide, of course.

But what are your views?

I'm sure it won't come to pass that all the seniors would retire at the sametime. Anil and I have gone now, maybe someone else in one year's time or sixmonths' time. I don't know. It's up to the players, up to the selectors. Andnobody can ask anybody to retire. How can the selectors go and ask any of theseniors to retire if he's performing? I believe you cannot ask anyone to retireif he's performing, even if he's 40.

You think you've realised your potential as batsman?

Yes, I have. There always will be ifs and buts, I probably should have gotmore runs in Test cricket. But I'm happy with what I've achieved. I'm happy togo on and play.

With Twenty20 cricket, and the Indian Premier League, where do you thinkis Test cricket headed?

Test cricket will always be the best form of the game.

But there's a fear that skills required for Test cricket are gettingeroded.

It's up to the individual to take the call. You cannot ignore Twenty20cricket, you cannot ignore the IPL. But I know it from personal experience withcricketers that they still rate Test cricket as the best form of the game. If aspinner wants to do well, he has to play all forms of the game because he cannotignore Twenty20 cricket. It's got him money, it's got him into the limelight.It's got him a million dollars. From where will he otherwise get a milliondollars? Let's be honest. So he has to adjust if he wants to play all forms ofthe game. And if you're good enough, you can do that.

What plans for the future? Commentary, business?

I'll take a break, I've been on the road for a long time. Then we'll see whathappens. I have options of family business.

And politics?

Everybody asks me that!

You made a statement that seemed telling, about Manta Banerjee and theTatas and Nano leaving West Bengal.

I didn't make a statement about Mamta Banerjee, I made a statement about theNano. I'm a firm believer that the future of the youth. My daughter is six yearsold ... similarly other people with young children would want the best futurefor them. It's the same for everyone. So if today the Tatas go away or theJindals go away from West Bengal, it takes away one opportunity from the youthto do the best possible in life. It's not about Mamta, it's not about Buddhadeb,it's not about any other political party. It's about what the state requires,and West Bengal and India require these big industrialists to start. Even Mamtahas requested the Tatas to stay.

How does your daughter react to your fame?

Ah, she doesn't understand. She was not even born when I became the captain,and all through the period of my captaincy, she was very young. She doesn'trealise this fame business. But she's started enjoying Twenty20 cricket. She'sgot a Sanaa shirt, I had to get her a shirt.

Your behaviour on the field is faultless… On the field, you walked on theedge, especially when you were captain. How do you reconcile that?

It's just that I had decided on a policy which would help my team playbetter. I and the team had decided that if we had to compete with them, we hadto come up with similar body language, aggressive cricket. Nothing more to itthan that.

Those incidents with Steve Waugh, keeping him waiting at toss?

Just to compete with them in their own manner, to get my team to play better.Nothing more to it. It's sport on the field, and off the field I'm the person Iam.

What's the source of your mental strength?

I don't know, I can't say what it might be. Probably the faith in myabilities, and a desire to win.

Or maybe the fact that you don't really have to depend on the cricket

Could be. I won't be able to pinpoint one single reason. Luckily, I have itand that's good!

Saurav, what are your first recollections of the game?

My interest in the game started when India won the World Cup in 1983. Butobviously, before that, I'd seen cricket right from my childhood. My father hasbeen associated with the Cricket Association of Bengal, my brother was playingBengal school cricket at the under-15, under-19 levels. I've been brought up ina family where people played cricket, so that's where the interest started.

There were lots of left-handed batsmen in your family, I believe...

Everybody in my family is a left-hander. Probably seeing them hold the batthat way, I started with that grip. My elder brother, my cousin who played, myother cousins who don't even play serious cricket and play only tennis ballcricket, all are left-handers. All natural right-handers who bat left-handed.But my father was a right-hander.

When did you first realise you could make it in the game?
Actually, when I got picked up for India in 1996 and did well, it was then Idecided that OK, now I can take it up as a profession. Before that, I used toplay and I used to study. I never thought of making it when I started out – Ijust wanted to play because I enjoyed playing the game. In India, if you don'tplay at the Test level, you never know where you can go.

Things were more uncertain at the Ranji Trophy level those days…
Yes, at least now there's something, some money… I played the Ranji Trophyfor Rs 400 per game! Now it's Rs 1.5 lakh, which is a good change.

And the first brush fame, when people started recognising you?

When I was picked up for the 1991-92 tour of Australia.

People would stop you on the streets in Kolkata?

No, not at stage, but they were happy that I was picked up to play for India,because cricket was so big.  Actual things started when I did well on the1996 tour of England. In Kolkata, it was most intense, obviously, for them tosee someone from the state do so well for India.