Coaching is still in my heart, says Sourav Ganguly

After leading India to the top of world cricket successfully over the last decade, Sourav Ganguly's career had followed the familiar arc - Indian Premier League, a dabble in commentary. However, things took a heady turn when Ganguly took up the role of the secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). After veteran Jagmohan Dalmiya passed away in 2015, Ganguly was made the President of the Association.

Revisiting the journey in an exclusive chat with the Hindu, Sourav Ganguly opened up about his day as an administrator.

“You don’t see the future but obviously I didn’t expect all this. The biggest satisfaction of this journey is the games (424) that I played for India. Having played the game for so long I was happy to be where I wanted to. That is the most satisfying thing. Whatever comes after that is a bonus,” Ganguly said.

Ganguly co-related his journey as a cricketer and an administrator and also provided his views on the never-ending ‘Can a cricketer be a good administrator’ debate. Ganguly said, “Everyone can’t be judged on the same platform. You have to assess once the career is over. For an administrator you judge his work over a period of time and decide if he has done good work or not. Every comparison doesn’t always give you the exact picture. Whether it is in sports, administration or any aspect of life! When you have two people competing, comparisons will happen. I won’t be able to judge whether it is the right picture or not.”

The former Indian skipper, who was known as much for his bravado as his keen captaining acumen, said that he always follows his heart while taking any decision.

“What I know. And what I want to do. It is exactly the same system that I followed as a captain. I did what my heart said. I did what I felt was right for Indian cricket. I have been given a responsibility and that is what I will aim to deliver well. If I try to look for comparisons I will spend the entire tenure doing just that.”

While his teammates Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid have already stepped into the shoes of a coach completely, Ganguly's career has taken him down a different path but the legend has expressed his desire to take up coaching at some point in his career.

He said, “That’s still in my heart. I don’t know if that’s going to happen or not. I was forced into administration because Mr. (Jagmohan) Dalmiya wanted me and I was made the CAB secretary. I still had intentions of becoming a coach when the CAB job came my way. When Mr. Dalmiya passed away I became president.”