Ganguly reveals dressing room secrets : Sachin's love for shopping; Laxman's lack of punctuality
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has revealed interesting dressing room details of some of his teammates from his playing days. While revealing that Sachin loved shopping the most, besides batting, Ganguly also said that stylish batsman VVS Laxman was the perennial latecomer in the team.
Indian cricket saw a turnaround in the early 2000s after Sourav Ganguly took over the reigns as the captain. Under his leadership, the team put in inspirational performances both home and away as they levelled series in England and Australia, scripting a new chapter in the India's cricket history. On Friday, Ganguly shared some anecdotes of his teammates during his time in the Indian dressing room.
"He (Tendulkar) would only bat and shop. He would get a Test hundred and the next day you would see him shopping in an Armani or Versace and you will see them hanging in his wardrobe. He was very fond of his clothes and had a great wardrobe," said Ganguly, about his former Indian teammate Sachin Tendulkar.
Talking about VVS Laxman in a talk show during India's second Test match against New Zealand at Eden Gardens, Ganguly said that the Hyderabadi batsman was always the latecomer in the team.
"You would see him taking a shower even as the no 4 and 5 batters were at the crease. Even he would be the last to board the team bus," Ganguly said.
Ganguly has also heaped praise on current India coach Anil Kumble for his versatility in getting wickets on different surfaces.
"Viru (Sehwag) at top with his batting and when you came to bowl you knew you've one (Kumble) who can bowl and give you wickets on any surface. He would say 'You give me runs on the scoreboard and I will win you Tests.' He did exactly that,” Ganguly said, reported Times of India.
The former Indian skipper also hailed Virender Sehwag saying, "He changed the batting mindset of people around the world. If you see today's era, if the players don't get runs quickly there's criticism. It all started with guys like Sehwag, (Matthew) Hayden."