Ganguly recollects day at Lord's

As Sourav Ganguly walks around the hallowed turf in designer suits and dapper looks, you will wonder if this was the same person who once removed his shirt in celebration of India’s memorable NatWest one-day triumph in 2002 at Lord’s

The former India captain may not look back at those clippings very fondly, but the venue itself brings back many special memories for him. It was here that he made his Test debut and how! With a classy 136. “Yeah, it’s great memories,” the Kolkatan told Deccan Herald as he took some time off from his schedule. “It’s such a great venue, isn’t it? It was fantastic to get a 100. It was obviously the starting point of my career, 15 years ago. It was terrific,” he added.

“I knew I had to perform, I had to do well,” said the 39-year-old when asked about his mental make-up when he made his debut under Mohammad Azharuddin. “I was pretty confident that I had done well in the warm-up game, I had done well in the one-day game. So, I was pretty confident of doing the same in the Tests,” he remarked.

A certain Rahul Dravid too made his Test foray in the same Test and narrowly missed out on a 100. In the subsequent two visits, the Bangalorean hasn’t come anywhere near his first effort. Neither do Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman have a triple figure at the venue.
“It feels good to be the only person to have 100 here, but obviously I want them to do as well. Probably, this could be that match,” he said wishfully. Ganguly’s final few years were marred by controversies, but there was no doubt that he was one of the best captains India has ever produced. He was aggressive and always wore his heart on his sleeve when he led India. While Ganguly did praise MS Dhoni for his wonderful leadership qualities, he didn’t see traces of himself in the Jharkhandi.   

“He has done really well,” he pointed out. “But I don’t want to compare him to myself or to any other captain. Because he is leading in another era, and he is leading a different generation, and the challenges are very different,” he reasoned.

Ganguly has retired from international cricket, but he knows he can’t keep his competitive juices in check. Having landed a spot in the Pune Warriors, Ganguly is looking forward to IPL’s next season. “Yes, I will be playing in the next two seasons, and I’ll get ready for it when it starts.”