“The World Cup Was Over by 7:30 pm”: Sourav Ganguly on India’s White-Ball Dominance
“New Zealand had lost the World Cup by 7:30 pm,” said Sourav Ganguly. “How can teams ask this Indian side to bat first? It is a recipe for disaster.”
Speaking cricket with Sourav is a real pleasure when he isn’t looking at his phone and when he is alone at home. With 20 people around, answers become monosyllabic and routine. Yesterday was a rare day when the conversation started like this: “Let’s just catch up for the first few minutes and then you can record the interview. We hardly get to chat beyond work these days.”
And may I say, time just flew by.
We had given each other 30 minutes. He had to catch a flight in the evening, and I had to go to a social event organised by Sharmistha for my birthday. At the end of an hour and ten minutes, we needed to stop. It was getting late for both of us.
“New Zealand lost the World Cup by 7:30 pm itself,” said Sourav with a smile. “The match started at 7 pm and was over by 7:30 pm. I said as much to the people who were watching with me. Look at India’s batting – Ishan, Abhishek, Sanju Samson, Surya, Shivam, Tilak, Hardik and Axar – and teams want to send India in! It is a recipe for disaster. And then you have Bumrah, who is a freak. Like I said to you, the game was over by 7:30 pm.”
On Gautam Gambhir, Sourav was full of praise. “If you remember, ahead of the Australia series, I said on your platform that we need to give the man a chance. As a white-ball coach, he is very good. And he has a very good team. He understands the format and his record is hugely impressive. To win a Champions Trophy and a World Cup in 12 months – what more do you want to showcase as a coach?
“His challenge will be the 50-over World Cup in South Africa, where the ball moves. But I am very sure he will be up to the challenge. He understands the dressing room. He is not interested in individuals; he always keeps the team’s interests first. He can come across as rough, but I know him well and he is a good man.
“This is a very good Indian team,” added Sourav. “Just think of the players who are not in the team and you will know how good they are. Shreyas Iyer is a bona fide white-ball great, yet he doesn’t get a spot in the team. Suryavanshi can walk into any team in the world. Jaiswal doesn’t get a spot in the team. Gill is sitting out. You can easily field two teams of great quality.
“The only two teams who can compete with India in white-ball cricket are Australia and England. South Africa have talent and can be competitive in helpful conditions. Most other teams will not stand a chance against this Indian side.”
From there, he changed gears. “So how was the birthday and how is the conclave coming along?” he asked. “I see hoardings everywhere and I am very pleased with the success of RevSportz. You all are doing great work and I will always be there to support.”
Watch the cricket adda all day on RevSportz.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news
The post “The World Cup Was Over by 7:30 pm”: Sourav Ganguly on India’s White-Ball Dominance appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
Comments
Post a Comment