There was a time when the Indian cricket used to play mild, non aggressive cricket, but all of that changed when the Sourav Ganguly aka ‘Dada’ started leading the team. Ganguly backed young Indian talent like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and many others, and played an instrumental role in transforming a “non aggressive” Indian cricket team into a very aggressive team that started winnings matches outside the subcontinent.
Here are 14 best quotes on Sourav Ganguly:
1) “The Prince of Calcutta. Two of his special qualities are his intelligence and articulation, both of which have helped him immensely in the world of contemporary cricket.” — Geoffrey Boycott
2) “His biggest asset is his freakish sense of timing. When playing his big shots, he could be very dangerous.” –Shaun Pollock
3) “Sourav Ganguly is a very good leader. His return to the field brings a spring in the steps of the Indians. He is a great player.”- Ricky Ponting
4) “Sourav Ganguly is the new Steve Waugh of mind games.” -Ian Healy
5) “He [Ganguly] has got a lot of runs and we [South Africa] have a huge respect for him.” – Graeme Smith
6) “I’ve learnt so much from Sourav. He has played 15 years of cricket. Sitting down with him and getting to know phenomenal.” – David Hussey
7) “Sourav has given them [the Indian team] that confidence and ability to target teams or individuals at key times.” –John Buchanan, Australian coach
8) “Sourav’s best quality is that he has the ability to remain unperturbed even when he faces severe criticism.” –Javagal Srinath
9) “The Bengal tiger always has his tail up, ready to devour the opposition.” –Navjot Singh Sidhu
10) “On the offside, first there is God, then Sourav Ganguly.” –Rahul Dravid
11) “Sourav’s greatest strength is his mind. He is hardworking – not only in the nets but also mentally. He bounces back.” – Sachin Tendulkar
12) “Besides football, the only other game I ever took interests in was basketball, but never cricket. Sourav is the sole reason why I am a cricket lover today. He has worked very hard to reach the position he is in today and that makes him really admirable.” – India’s best-known footballer and captain of Indian Football team, Baichung Bhutia
13) “I have known Ganguly as a quiet lad, who always respected the seniors and lent an ear to any advice that came from them. This was the quality that impressed me most in this determined cricketer and I was not averse to giving him a break as early as possible.” –Mohammed Azharuddin
14) “The great thing about Sourav is that he doesn’t let any criticism bother him. He is his own man, and an intensely determined one. He always speaks his mind. His batting is a unique mix of touch and power. When he plays those drives, it’s all touch, all elegance. Timing is his gift. He has the ability to not only clear the ropes but even the stadium. Against spin, my god, he is really a murderer! One thing I’d love to have from his game is his the ability to clear the ropes. As a captain, he is always encouraging his batsmen, reminding them of past successes. Sourav is among the best one-day players I have seen.” –VVS Laxman
By Aniket Arora
