India's Ganguly talks about his S Africa test innings

India's Ganguly talks about his S Africa test innings


Had he not missed out on the three-figure mark in Kanpur, Sourav Ganguly felt he could have rated last innings as his best in Test cricket.

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, had no doubt that it was the former Indian skipper's gutsy innings of 87 that separated the teams in the third Test and helped the hosts to finish the series 1-1.

However, the best tribute possibly came from the opposition coach Micky Arthur.

The South African coach had made a CD of Ganguly's innings for the benefit of youngsters in South Africa should they want to learn how to play the spinners on a turning track.

He also had a surprise gift from one of his close followers Harbhajan Singh. The Man of the Series had presented him a mobile with Blackberry technology after Ganguly's determined 87 in the second Test in Ahmedabad.


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Good times seem to be here again for the Prince of Kolkata, who would be leading his city team in the Indian Premier League from Friday.

Following are the excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Gulf News: Do you want to rate this innings among the top five of your Test career?

Ganguly: Definitely. If I had reached the three-figure mark here, I would have definitely kept it on the top. It was really tough batting out there. The ball spun, the wicket had irregular bounce and we were under real pressure. So it was easily one of my best efforts.

Better than your come back innings in Johannesburg?

There, I was under more pressure. I was coming back into international cricket and I had to get runs. In terms of handling pressure, that 51 may have been the best knock but wicket-wise this 87. The South African pace attack is one of the best in the world now and Harris managed to extract a big turns. Rarely, you have to play on such wickets and I was happy to score for the team.

Just as you went out to bat, Rahul Dravid got out to a snorter from Morkel. What did you think when you came out of the dressing room?

Well, you can not think or plan anything on such a wicket. You have to go there and play your natural game, hoping that the ball will behave normally! You can't prepare for the abnormal things and that is not under your control too. I did not want to think about those factors which are not in my control. I was prepared to face the balls as they would come. Playing your natural game on such wickets helped you and I just did so.

What about the heat in Kanpur?

In all the three Tests in Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kanpur respectively, we had to beat the heat. Having played for so many years in India, we have learnt to beat the heat. We are quite accustomed to it. So, it was not a problem.

But you had missed another hundred just like in Ahmedabad...

Yeah, it was disappointing for me to miss out on another hundred. But when you win a Test coming from behind and square the series, these personal milestones are not on your priority list.

I wanted to be there at the wicket for some more time and wanted the team score to reach 300 while I was there. It's great that Sreesanth and Ishant (Sharma) played their parts and gave us a handy lead even after I got out.

I should mention the efforts of Laxman, Dravid, Yuvraj and Dhoni too. When you had lost the toss on such a wicket but have scored than more than 300 in the second innings of the match, it is indeed a good score. If I had got my hundred here, I would have definitely ranked it my best Test century so far.

The bowlers did the trick for India in the second innings...

Yes, they were simply superb. It would have been tougher for us to chase a score of anything more than 150 in the fourth innings, but they had restricted the South Africans' lead to 61 and it was a great job done by them.

Harbhajan finished with 19 wickets in the series, Ishant was playing his first Test at home, Chawla, Sehwag, Sreesanth - every one bowled superbly. It was a team effort.

You were adjudged the Man of the Series against Pakistan in December and awarded the Man of Match in this Test, too. Did you expect it?

To be honest, I had nothing in my mind. We were playing with the intention of squaring the series and when we could do so, we were more than happy. When my name was announced, I was naturally happy.

On Indian soil, Sunil Gavaskar had played one of the greatest on a turning track when he scored that 96 in Bangalore against Pakistan. Any memories of that innings?

That was a great innings. The surface was almost unplayable and Sunnybhai, being a true champion that he is, played like a master technician. You can never forget such brilliance. It was a marvellous knock.

You are always under pressure to perform. How do you handle it?

It's okay with me. I have known how to live under pressure. Sometimes, I really feel that if the pressure is not there, it will be difficult for me to perform!

How can you sound so confident?

I have a bat in my hand and that should take care of everything. At the end of the day, what you do is more important and I am ready to perform every time I go out there. But I know it is impossible to score big runs every time you walk out to bat.

Why do you think that the South African pace attack is the best?

The pace attack of this team is the best in the world now, even better than the one we had faced in Australia just a few months back. Ntini is the best with the new ball. Dale Steyn can retain his pace even with the old ball, while he is also capable of swinging it in reverse direction. And this new guy, Morni Morkel, is quite impressive.

Will you get Shoaib Akhtar to play for your Kolkata team in the IPL ?

I believe, we might get Shoaib. But if we do not, Australia's Mitchell Johnson is free. We can go for him.

In a few days from now, you will have to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Sourav Ganguly is the leader again!

It is a new tournament and I am hoping to carry my form there. In Twenty-20 format, you never know what happens next. I had played a few games while playing for Glamorgan when I was in England. The paying people likes the excitement of the 20-overs game.