The comeback man. Perhaps no one knows, maybe except for the man himself, why Sourav Ganguly was so desperate to play in the IPL. He didn't give up on his dream, even as everyone else did and came back with the Pune Warriors. Now, he hasn't set the stage on fire, but the man deserves some credit for his grit and perseverance.
The interaction was organised by the education fair "Eduquest" and Ganguly was asked if can be seen as a coach of the national team in near future.
Asked about his most memorable Test match, Ganguly said "My first Test at Lords was the best for creating overall impact on my career. God was kind and after that I was destined to play for many years."
"But in terms of quality the hundred in Australia was the best. 90 against South Africa at Kanpur was very good," the former India captain added.
Among all the bowlers he faced, Ganguly felt Australian paceman Glenn McGrath was the most difficult. Among the Indian bowlers he thinks both Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath were very good.
India's most successful Test captain advised the students to overcome tension to be successful.
He mentioned one incident involving batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who before a Test match in Sydney during his early career remained awake almost the whole night as he was tense and was desperate to grab the chance.
At the same time the little master remained focused about the job to be done and achieved success, Ganguly said.
He also urged the students to face the pressure and get over it.
And the best way to do it is to work hard. Hard work never goes in vain, he said adding that "some players like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are very talented. But I and players like Virender Sehwag had to work hard to succeed."
He also told the students to have a positive approach.
"The day I went to bat thinking that my opponent bowlers won't be able to get me out, I did well and the day I thought that my rival bowler had a better swing or crafty I could not perform as expected," Ganguly explained.