For those with a penchant for facts, Sourav is once again making his debut, though off the field, in England, the country where he slammed two centuries on his Test debut in 1996. Sourav backed Team India to clinch the T20 title: “If you ask for my favourite, it’s India. They are a strong side and I’m hopeful that they will do well this time as well to retain the trophy. But to be honest, no one can be picked as a favourite in the T20 format… Anyone can win on a given day.”
On whether he foresees pressure derailing Team India’s campaign, the stylish southpaw said that in T20, all the teams are under pressure. “Pressure is on everyone… And I think this Indian team handles pressure well. One also has to remember that the last time (in 2007), when India won the World T20 Cup, they were a young side. Two years down the line, they have become more matured and experienced and that will definitely help,” Ganguly asserted.
He was also all praise for India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni: “Dhoni has been doing a fabulous job as the captain. He has been producing results for the past two years, not only in T20 but also in Tests and one-day Internationals. I have been in those shoes and I know how difficult a role that is. He is only 27 (years old) and has truly been doing a brilliant job,” said the man who took India to the ODI World Cup final in 2003.
He also played down India’s 9-run loss to New Zealand in a warm-up tie on Monday saying that Dhoni’s boys have had quite a good record in T20s. He voted for Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir as the ideal and best opening duo for India. But when reminded that since Sehwag was nursing an injury what if someone like Rohit Sharma is pushed up, Ganguly said: “I don’t really know… Rohit hasn’t done the job before, so I don’t know how he will perform.”
Sourav expressed concern over Zaheer Khan’s injury saying, “He has been playing a lot of cricket… His injury is definitely a concern… But injury is part and parcel of the game and you will have to cope with it.”
When asked whether T20 is more of a batsman’s game, the owner of 11,363 runs in ODIs refused: “T20 is not necessarily a batsman’s game. In fact, there’s a lot of pressure on the batsman… A bowler has 24 deliveries (the 4-over limit in T20) to prove himself while for a batsman a single delivery may bring about his downfall. So the batsmen are always under pressure.”
When asked whether his one-time teammates will take his criticisms from the commentary box sportingly, Sourav had a mischievous answer: “Let’s see… It’s just the beginning. I hope they shake my hand after the match!” His message for the Indian team ahead of the World T20 bore a stamp of his own inimitable style: “Just win it, once again!”