Ganguly praises cool headed Gambhir

Adding to the list of admirers of Gautam Gambhir, India's most consistent batsman in recent times, is ex-captain Sourav Ganguly.

Ganguly is impressed by the temperament of the Delhi dasher.
Gambhir completed his 3000 runs in One-day cricket on Thursday en route to his unbeaten 150 in the fourth match, which helped India seal the five-match series.
"Gambhir has been improving a lot. Gambhir is a cool headed guy. He has been scoring runs and he is getting them consistently," Ganguly said.

Watching the India-Sri Lanka day night proceedings with wife Dona and daughter Sana from at Eden Gardens, for Ganguly it was for the first time after his international retirement that India played at his home venue.

Asked whether he missed the on-field action, Ganguly said, "Not at all. I am enjoying my life."
A charismatic leader during his time, Ganguly said his retirement decision was correct as the battle of making a comeback and getting dropped again and again was becoming tough.

"It was getting enough. Making a comeback everytime after getting dropped. How many more times would I have fought to make my way into the side? This battle was getting tough.

"There is a limit to it," he said.
Ganguly also felt that dew played a role in Sri Lanka's defeat, saying," The balls skid as it becomes difficult for bowlers to control the ball. I knew it would be easier to bat second.

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"My career prospered under Tendulkar"

Sachin Tendulkar may not have been a huge success as India captain but many a young career bloomed under him, said Sourav Ganguly.

"When I was trying to find my feet in international cricket, it was a huge learning experience to play under Tendulkar. He had given a lot of support as a player and as a captain and my career blossomed under him," Ganguly said on the sidelines of a Tendulkar felicitaion on Tuesday.

"It's not only me, I am sure the likes of (Rahul) Dravids, (VVS) Laxmans and (Anil) Kumbles would be thinking the same about Tendulkar," Ganguly said at the ceremony organised by the Aryan Club that celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Sachin turned out for the Aryans in the early 90s in the P Sen Trophy.
Recalling his association with Tendulkar, Ganguly said, "I know him since my under-13 days when we met at a national camp. It has been a long journey together. We had a very good time together at the top, opening the batting in ODIs.

"He has charmed the crowd not only with his bat but with his amazing behaviour. It's very difficult to emulate what Sachin has achieved as a cricketer and the talent he possesses. But it will be really nice if we could emulate him the way he carries himself," Ganguly said.
Ganguly wished Tendulkar remained fit to achieve 100 international centuries and do well in the 2011 World Cup.

"World Cup is coming and he is also close to 100 centuries. I wish he remains fit and bats the way he is doing. It's an example for the youngsters to follow," Ganguly said.

He also congratulated Sachin for his bit to make India the number one Test side.
"I remember when we used to tour overseas, were being levelled as very soft, not because of his batting but soft for our team's performance. I congratulate him on achieving the No 1 status and he is the biggest contributor to that," Ganguly said.

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Ganguly might join Essex in 2010

Retired from the Indian squad, ex-skipper Sourav Ganguly might play for Essex County Cricket Club for the Twenty20 competition next year. Ganguly has also revealed plans of leading the Kolkata Knight Riders team at the next IPL (Indian Premier League) meet from June 2010 till August 2010.

Ganguly, being no stranger to county cricket, has represented Lancashire, Glamorgan and Northamptonshire at County Cricket but this if this deal strikes through it will the first time for a retired Indian skipper to be appointed at an overseas club. The southpaw has also played at the domestic T20 meet held in England and played for Glamorgan and Northamptonshire.

Dav Whatmore, the Knight Riders coach, interacting with the media at Eden Gardens on 10th November, 2009 and expressed immense pleasure in having worked with Ganguly. "Ganguly has a great contribution to the Indian cricket. He knows how to extract the best from his players. It's a wonderful experience working with him. We are looking for a fruitful season ahead," said the ex-Sri Lankan coach who also had seen his team win the 1996 World Cup.

Whatmore was in Calcutta in lieu of a 2-day camp for assessing local talents for the next IPL series. "I am very happy to see the local talents, it was a productive two days of skill assessment and development in our endeavor to make a strong side for IPL III," expressed the 55-year-old coach. The Riders have also roped in star kid, Rohan Gavaskar for their next season.

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KKR not a side to finish at the bottom of IPL: Whatmore

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders bottom place finish in the second edition of the Indian Premier League notwithstanding, newly-appointed coach Dav Whatmore on Saturday said the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side was certainly not a team to be the laggards in the high-profile Twenty20 event.

"KKR have all the ingredients to do well in IPL-3. KKR is certainly not a side to finish last. In order to escalate in the ranking, combination of a number of things is important. We do have a group of players to form a good side," said Whatmore in his first media interaction after replacing countrymate John Buchanan at the Eden Gardens.

"I am confident that players in the group have it in them to make a big impact. The main thing is confidence and the game is as such where you cannot go in with double thoughts.

"The role of a coach is always evolving. It changes from group to group and it is helpful to know each other's boundary," he said.

The 1996 World Cup winning Sri Lankan coach said even though the format of Twenty20 cricket is different, the basics of the game remains the same.

"Games do change but nothing really changes in the sense of players. Principles leading up to a game do not change much. The ultimate thing which is required is everything should done in conjunction with the captain," Whatmore said.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said Whatmore knows the sub-continental conditions and the players' mindset which would be an asset for the side.

"Dav and I have to work together along with the support staff to get things in place. He is very much aware of the sub-continental condition and players' mindset. We need to execute plans which is the most important and decisive factor," said Ganguly.

"If there are any issues, we would settle it out among ourselves. We have the team and need to plan it as and when the tournament starts. What is important is a healthy atmosphere where players have a free mind in this tough and hectic competition," added Ganguly.

With KKR set to miss Australian captain Ricky Ponting who would be busy with the series against New Zealand, Ganguly said, "We would be missing Ricky Ponting about eight to nine games but in the end we need to focus on players who would be available full time for the entire season."

The KKR will have a short camp next month before they assemble in January to pick the squad for the third edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza that will be held from March 12 to April 25.

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Ganguly back as Knight Riders captain

Kolkata: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday returned as the Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper for next year's Indian Premier League, replacing New Zealand's Brendon McCullum.

The controversy-ridden IPL outfit, which finished at the bottom of the table this year, also named Dav Whatmore as its new coach with Delhi Ranji coach Vijay Dahiya as his deputy.

Pakistani pace legend Wasim Akram was appointed the mentor of the side.

"Andrew Leipus and Adrian le Roux have been appointed physiotherapist and team trainer respectively," the team management said in a statement.

"The KKR management held several meetings over the past few weeks to discuss and plan the way forward for the franchise and the team. After weeks of careful deliberation, keeping in mind the vision and ideals of the team, the KKR management has appointed Dav Whatmore as the new team coach," the management said, adding Ganguly played an instrumental role in the entire process.

"KKR is looking forward to an exciting and successful season ahead with the new appointments and strategies in place. I am excited at the prospect of working with Dav and the entire team closely in addition to playing at our home ground once again," Ganguly said.

Insisting that Ganguly's position as captain is not merely ceremonial, the outfit said the former India skipper would be the "key driving force" who would "shape the cricket team" and "would be responsible for all cricket related decisions with regards to the 2010 season."

After leading the team in the inaugural IPL, Ganguly fell out with the then coach John Buchanan, who first mooted the "multi-captaincy" idea, which did not find favour with the management.

McCullum led the side in the second IPL but came a cropper.

Hailing Whatmore's appointment, KKR co-owner Jay Mehta said, "Dav has the right vision not only for the team, but for each of the players, and for the franchise as a whole. He is very aware of our current position in IPL and knows that there is only one way to go now: up."

Whatmore, on his part, said he was looking forward to working with Ganguly.

"I am optimistic about the season ahead and have the utmost faith in Sourav, the team, and KKR management and look forward to a successful tournament. I will be working closely with the team to continue building KKR into a successful franchise both on and off field," he said.

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Ganguly supports a cause

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is all set to support a cause.

The southpaw will support a cause when he inaugurates an exhibition cricket match between intellectualy-challenged players of Bangladesh and India at Eden Gardens on November 4.

Organised by the West Bengal State Council of Sports, the exhibition match will be of 20x2 format where each player gets an opportunity to bat and ball and the final score is derived by dividing the total by the number of times the batting side lost wickets, state sports minister Kanti Ganguly stated in a release on Saturday.

"The special format has been designed to permit each player to show his ability. Besides Ganguly, former speaker Somnath Chatterjee and other eminent sport and entertainment personalities will attend the event," it added.

The event is being organised in collaboration with Special Olympica and Paschimbanga Rajya Pratibandhi Sammilani and supported by the Cricket Association of Bengal.

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Ganguly begins season on a high

KOLKATA: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly began the season on a positive note, slamming an unbeaten 45-ball 62 in a practice Twenty20 match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Ganguly hit two sixes and six fours to guide his team to an eight-wicket victory.

The southpaw, who retired from international cricket after Australia series last year, hit the Bengal bowlers all over the ground with disdain.

Divided into two teams - A and B - Bengal cricketers played their second T20 match before they leave for Dhanbad for the Mushtaq Ali T20 East Zone meet.

Team A featuring Bengal skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla were bowled out for 119 in 19.3 overs, while in reply, Ganguly's blazing form ensured a win with 3.4 overs to spare.

Ganguly has given his nod to play for Bengal in the home matches of Ranji Trophy and the one-dayers and on Sunday the chief selector Sambaran Banerjee hinted that the left-hander might even pad up in the away matches if situation demands.

After the practice match, Banerjee said Ganguly had a discussion with him and hinted that depending on performance of Bengal team after their first match, against Maharashtra in Pune, he would think about playing for Bengal in rest of the Ranji matches.

Bengal, who will open their zonal T20 campaign in Dhanbad on October 21 against Assam, followed by their match against Jharkhand the next day.

On October 23, Bengal will take on Orissa, while they face Tripura the next day.

Ganguly, who is expected to be back as Kolkata Knight Riders captain in third edition of Indian Premier League, however, would not play for Bengal in forthcoming T20 meet.

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Dravid's axe surprises Dada

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed surprise over Rahul Dravid's exclusion from Team India for the ODI's against Australia.


"I don't know whether this is experimentation or what.

I don't think the selectors will experiment in a series against Australia," he said when asked to comment on the squad picked for the first two ODIs of a seven-match series.

"But I am a little surprised at the decision (of dropping Dravid). But it's a decision by the selectors and they know what is better for the side," Ganguly, himself a victim of selectors' decisions on several occasions, said.

On the ICC Champions Trophy debacle, the southpaw said, "It's sport and there will be ups and downs. It's important to support them (the team) when they are not doing well. I hope they will be back to their winning ways against Australia."

Having made a comeback to the one-day fold recently in the September tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa, Dravid failed to find favour with the selectors.

Dravid had a decent show since his return with 180 runs from five matches at an average of 36.

The seven-match series against Australia is beginning from October 25.

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Ganguly to play practice match for Bengal

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will play a practice match for Bengal.
He will play in the before the practice match before the team departs for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 (East Zone) tournament in Dhanbad.

"Bengal will play two practice matches among themselves on October 16 and 18. Ganguly will play the second match on October 18," chairman of Bengal selectors Sambaran Banerjee said.

The Bengal left-hander had earlier given his consent to play for Bengal in a few Ranji Trophy matches. He will also represent Bengal in the one-dayers for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Ganguly is expected to return as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in the third edition of the Indian Premier League scheduled to be held from March 12-April 25.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla will lead Bengal who will play Assam to open their zonal Twenty20 campaign in Dhanbad on October 21 followed by their match against Jharkhand the next day.

On October 23, Bengal will take on Orissa, while they face Tripura on the next day.

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Sehwag should not pass up captaincy - Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian captain, has backed Virender Sehwag to lead India before he retires from international cricket.

"Virender Sehwag has it in him to lead India," Ganguly told Indian television channel Star News. "Sehwag still has at least five or six years of cricket in him and even if any chance of captaining the side comes his way in the last two years of his career he should not pass it on.''

Having initially stated that he did not want to lead India, he backtracked by saying he was not keen on the vice-captaincy as he felt the selectors were better off grooming a youngster for the job, but was open to leading his country. To that Ganguly said: "I don't think Veeru should think like this."

Sehwag considered Ganguly as the best leader he had played under.

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Champions Trophy will be an indication of ODI future: Sourav Ganguly

Kolkata, Sep 12 (IANS) Former Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly Saturday supported Sachin Tendulkar's suggestion of a double innings format for one-day internationals and said the success of the upcoming Champions Trophy will be an indication of the future of the format.

'I agree with Sachin that we should try out new ideas in one-day cricket to make it more interesting and lively. I welcome his suggestion of a double innings format in 50-over matches,' Ganguly told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.
Ganguly said he was keenly looking forward to the Champions Trophy tournament beginning Sep 22 in South Africa.

'We can get an indication of the future of one-day cricket after seeing the impact of the Champions Trophy,' he said.

Ganguly mourned the death of former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Raj Singh Dungarpur. 'I knew him for long. It's a big loss for Indian cricket,' he said.

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Ganguly backs Tendulkar formula

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly backed Sachin Tendulkar's suggestion of splitting ODI games into four innings.
"It's a good idea. But we can think of it after the Champions Trophy," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event.
Tendulkar had suggested the amendment in the format of one-day cricket in the wake of growing popularity of Twenty20 format, which threatens to overtake the 50-over game.
Ganguly was happy over Indian cricket team's march towards the number one ranking after the six wicket win over New Zealand in Colombo on Friday.
"It's very good news, but we have to maintain the continuity," he remarked.
Asked to comment on the latest row involving off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and a cameraman at Bangalore, Ganguly refused to say anything. "Let me know the facts (first), he quipped.
Ganguly pads up in Eden for practice
Keen to play for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, Ganguly padded up at Eden Gardens and batted for close to two hours in the morning.
Ganguly, who bid adieu to international cricket last year, practised in company of former Bengal players Gopal Bose and Goutam Shome Junior.
According to Goutam, who is the coach of under-16 Bengal side, Ganguly opted for a different batting style on Saturday.
"He changed his stance, opening up a bit to get a better view," he said.
Ganguly on Friday told the state selectors -- Sambaran Banerjee and Devang Gandhi -- about his availability in the Ranji Trophy.
"Ganguly want to play some of the matches. But the exact number of matches he will play, is yet to be finalised," Banerjee said.
Ganguly had on Wednesday expressed desire to play a few matches for Bengal but had ruled out the possibility of a comeback to the national side.
Ganguly had earlier announced that he would play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-dayers.
He is also set to play the third edition of the Indian Premier League for the Kolkata Knight Riders with possibility of returning as captain.

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Ganguly wants to play Ranji Trophy

Kolkata, Sep 9 (IANS) In his effort to return to top fitness before next year's Indian Premier League, former captain Sourav Ganguly Wednesday expressed his wish to play some Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal this season, nearly a year after bidding goodbye to international cricket.
'I am considering playing a few matches. If I see that some match practice will help me, then I shall play,' Ganguly told reporters at the Eden Gardens here.
The third edition of the IPL is scheduled for March-April 2010.

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Sachin can continue as long as he wants:Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels Sachin Tendulkar is the best cricketer in the world and can continue as long as he wants.
Age might be catching up with the Mumbai veteran but Ganguly feels otherwise.
The iconic left-hander said his 36-year-old former opening partner is a better batsman than him and can pick the time to call it quits.
"Sachin is a bigger player than I am"
"To be honest, he is a bigger player than I am. He deserves to go whenever he wants to. He is probably the best in the world with (the retired) Brian Lara. He can play until anytime he wants and I am sure his performance will remain consistent," Ganguly told PTI in an interview on Friday.
Ganguly said he enjoyed partnering Tendulkar at the top and doesn't regret quitting earlier than him.
"We have enjoyed a lot together at the top of the order and contributed thousands of runs. But I have taken a decision to quit. So, there is nothing to regret. I am sure he would also take the decision (to call it quits) at some stage," the 37-year-old player said.
Tendulkar recently stated that he is aiming to accumulate 15,000 Test runs and also play in the 2011 World Cup.
Ganguly said fitness permitting, the seasoned right-hander will accomplish the twin aims.
"Why not? If he is fit and looks after his body, he will keep getting runs. He just needs to look after his fitness and he will remain to be an asset to the team," he said.
"Nobody can stop Sachin from performing"
Ganguly said players like Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid had been performing consistently over a period of time and would be an asset for the team at any stage of their careers.
"As long as he (Tendulkar) is fit, nobody can stop him performing. Players like him, Dravid and Kumble just can't stop performing at any stage of their career," he said.
"They have come here because they have performed consistently over a period of 12, 13, 15 and 20 years. That's why they are great players and would continue to perform," he added.
India would miss the services of opener Virender Sehwag and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan in the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka but Ganguly said Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men would still start favourites.
"India still is the team to beat among Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Sachin (Tendulkar) is back and hopefully Rahul will be back. We have the strength and combination to beat the other two teams," he said.
"Buchanan is a story of the past'
On his stand on the controversial WADA anti-doping clause that requires players to disclose there whereabouts even when they are not playing, Ganguly refused to comment.
"My job, time of thought in this is over. So, I don't want to comment on this.
"If I was a player, I would have thought about it. But I am not a player any more, so I would like to keep away from it. I don't want to give an opinion about something which I am not sure about", he said.

On his Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders' decision to sack coach John Buchanan, who criticised the entire team management after being ousted, Ganguly said the Australian was a thing of past for the side.
"For us at KKR, Buchanan is a story of the past. We have not played well last year and we need to get everything right.
"We need to play good cricket and that's important, rest does not matter. It's a thing of the past," he said.
Asked what went wrong in the last season when Buchanan was at the helm, a seemingly annoyed Ganguly said, "I don't want to go back and think about what went wrong in the last season. I just don't want to talk about it."
"It happens in sport, it does not work at times. But as I said, it's past for us and we need to look forward," he added.
"ICL players are on radar"
On the IPL season III, Ganguly said the team has set its sights on signing some former Indian Cricket League.
"We will decide shortly. It's just been announced yesterday that the ICL players can be a part of any franchise.
"Like any other franchise, we will also try to get players. It depends, who has already signed up and who has not," he said.
"We have the Bengal ICL players in mind as well. As I said we are trying to make a better team and everybody will be seen," he added.

The IPL governing council has decided that an ex-ICL player would get a maximum of Rs 20 lakh which is seen to be a "raw deal" for the rebel cricketers but Ganguly said, "I am not a decision maker in that. The IPL committee and the BCCI are the decision makers in that. I should not be making a statement."
Ganguly, who played a mentor's role in KKR's just concluded pre-season training camp at Eden Gardens here, said he enjoyed the experience.
"It was not a question of donning a new role. I was just helping them out in the camp. We have not appointed a coach yet, so (trainer) Adrian (Le Rous), myself, (physio) Andrew (Leipus), (CEO) Joydeep (Bhattacharya), (team manager) Jaydip (Mukherjee), Jeet (Banerjee) we were all there, trying to help the boys get together and organise the net. Since we are yet to appoint a coach, we are all trying to work together to get the camp going."
Asked if there are any specific names that the team management is considering for the coach's job, Ganguly said there were several.
"I have got no idea. We have got a lot of people applying for the job. KKR has decided on a policy of selecting a coach and that will happen in due course. At present, there are no names as such", he said.