‘I’m still deeply involved in cricket, even after retirement’: Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, one of the most influential figures in Indian cricket, spoke to The Statesman about his life after retirement and his continuing involvement in the game. He reflected on India’s upcoming England tour, emerging talent, senior players’transitions, and Bengal’s pursuit of Ranji Trophy success.

Excerpts

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Q: First of all, how are you enjoying life away from cricket after retiring from the game

Sourav: Well, I wouldn’t say it’s completely a life away from cricket yet. I no longer play with bat and ball, of course. But nothing lasts forever. Even though I have retired from playing, I am still closely associated with cricket. I have been involved in cricket administration since 2014. I started as the Secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), then became its President, followed by my tenure as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Now I am back as the President of CAB role of Head Coach of Pretoria Capitals in South Africa. We reached the final this year but unfortunately lost. In the IPL as well, I have been given responsibilities with the Delhi Capitals, and I will continue in that role for the next two years.

Q: The coaching assignments you’re taking up now — are they part of a larger ambition to coach at an even bigger level in the future?

Sourav: I don’t know. That depends entirely on the opportunities that come my way. The life of the Indian team’s head coach is very similar to that of the players themselves. I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. For now, I’m focused on working with these two teams. We’ll take things one step at a time and see where it leads.

Q: Delhi Capitals have recently appointed Yuvraj Singh as their batting coach. Was that your decision?

Sourav: Yes, absolutely. Yuvraj will be the batting coach and my assistant. We still need to appoint a few more members to the coaching staff, and we’ll make those decisions gradually. There’s still plenty of time before the next season begins.

Q: Rishabh Pant is returning to Delhi Capitals. Will that strengthen the team?

Sourav:Yes, definitely. He has played the best cricket of his career for Delhi Capitals. So, returning to Delhi will be good for him.

Q: Let’s move on to Indian cricket. India are set to tour England soon. How do you assess this young Indian squad?What do you expect from them?

Sourav: It should be a very good series. India are an outstanding white-ball side. England, too, is going through a transition. They haven’t yet been able to settle on a fixed combination. They lost to India in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, and it was a very close contest.

But playing in England is always a different challenge. They know their own conditions extremely well. They have plenty of match-winners in their ranks — Harry Brook, the left-handed batter Jacob Bethell, and a bowler like Jofra Archer, who will be particularly dangerous in English conditions. They also have an all rounder like Sam Curran. Later this winter, Australia will tour India for a five-Test series, and that too should be an excellent contest.

Q: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be part of the ODI squad. Many believe they should also have been included in the T20I squad so they could share their experience with the younger players. Do you agree?

Sourav: They haven’t been picked just for their experience — they’ve been selected because of their ability. Both of them are still exceptional white-ball cricketers.

Q: Another player attracting enormous attention is Vaibhav Suryavanshi. What do you think of him How far do you believe he can go?

Sourav: The boy is exceptional. He has tremendous temperament, and mental strength is absolutely vital at this level. Talent alone isn’t enough — most players possess talent. But his ability is natural.

You’ll see him scoring runs in big matches. Just look at what he did in the IPL playoffs — 97 off 29 balls in the Eliminator and 96 off 47 in the Qualifier. Then, when he played for India ‘A’, he produced another remarkable performance in the series final, scoring 50 off 11 balls and then 94 off 29 deliveries.

He’s an outstanding white-ball player. But opening the batting in England will be a completely different examination. The ball will move around much more in seaming conditions. That will be his real test. Having said that, I firmly believe he has the talent to pass that examination as well.

Q: Since we’ve touched upon first-class cricket, let me ask you this: Bengal haven’t won the Ranji Trophy for nearly 36 or 37 years. Coincidentally, the year you made your debut for Bengal was the last time the team lifted the trophy. Bengal’s cricket lovers keep asking – when will the Ranji Trophy finally return home?

Sourav: Bengal last won a national-level trophy in 2011 – the Vijay Hazare Trophy – and I was the captain then.

Since then, we’ve reached several finals but have fallen short. Over the last five or six years, Bengal have played in two Ranji Trophy finals. This season, after performing brilliantly throughout the tournament, we were knocked out in the semi-finals because we had one poorinnings.

The truth is, to become champions, you have to seize the small moments that decide matches. Take the semi-final, for example – we had a lead of around 50 or 60 runs in the second innings.That was the point where we needed to take control of the game.

We’ve also lost two Ranji Trophy finals to Saurashtra – once at home and once away. In 2019, when Arun Lal was our head coach, we lost another Ranji final. Time and again we’ve come close to winning the trophy, only to miss out in the end.

Q: Why aren’t more such players coming through? Is it that they’re not being identified properly You’re now the CAB President, so you probably know the situation better than anyone.

Sourav: I’ve only been back in the office for a few months. When I became CAB President in 2015, we launched Vision2020. That programme produced players like Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Abhimanyu Easwaran.

Now we’ll launch Vision 2028, with Ashok Dinda and Utpal Chatterjee taking charge of the project.

Last season, our bowling attack was among the best largely because of Mohammed Shami. In fact, that was probably our best opportunity to win the Ranji Trophy. I hope we’ll have Shami available again this season.

At the end of the day, though, it’s the cricketers who have to perform. I can’t walk on to the field with a bat or ball anymore.

When I was captain of India and we were winning matches around the world, Jagmohan Dalmiya never interfered in cricketing matters. Whatever I needed, he made sure I got it. But ultimately, it was Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Sehwag, myself and the rest of the players who had to go out and deliver on the field.

An administrator can only go so far. The same applies to a coach. In the end, it’s the players who have to produce the results. Our boys will also have to prove themselves on the field. Only then will success come.