{"id":184843,"date":"2023-09-08T12:25:58","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T12:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/?p=184843"},"modified":"2023-09-08T12:25:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T12:25:58","slug":"i-cannot-win-cricket-games-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/sport\/i-cannot-win-cricket-games-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I cannot win cricket games alone’"},"content":{"rendered":"
‘I would just be kind to all my players and if there were ever mistakes, I would find a way to hide it.’<\/strong><\/p>\n Sourav Ganguly has given his fans innumerous heart stopping moments during his playing days. But every legend starts somewhere and is a fan boy himself at times.<\/p>\n In a candid interview at the Champions Sports-Cast podcast hosted by DreamSetGo, Dada opened up on his icons, his early days and on leading the Indian side.<\/p>\n ‘For me, playing sports was a way out and to get away from my mom who always wanted me to study. I actually started playing football and realised that I had tremendous ball sense, probably attributing it to being from Kolkata,’ Dada remembered.<\/p>\n ‘I started playing cricket because of my brother and would play in a 7-a-side cricket game in our backyard. It was because of these tennis ball matches, that I was able to absorb the game sense, and touch from a very young age.’<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘I first met Sachin when he was 14 years old at the MRF Pace Academy and over time we would go on to spend 6-7 months in a year together and developed a close friendship and trust over time,’ Dada recalled.<\/p>\n ‘As a cricketer, he was a far superior cricketer than me, and that is something I strongly believe in — to raise your game, you must partner with those better than you and we continue to be very close friends,’ Ganguly said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘For me leadership is about managing people because everyone’s different. At the end of the day, I cannot win cricket games alone. I need the 10 players next to me to drive towards that goal.’<\/p>\n ‘I always looked to manage different personalities and try to ensure they played on the field where it mattered. I would just be kind to all my players and if there were ever mistakes, I would find a way to hide it. And just got them to have enough trust in me over time so that they gave the best for the team.’<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘In 1983, when India won the World Cup, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev were the people I hoped to emulate as it was a big turning moment in our lives and the country. Apart from these two, Allan Border was an idol of mine that I always hoped to meet and I was lucky to meet all 3 of them.’<\/p>\n Hailing from Kolkata, Ganguly’s love for football isn’t a surprise. And the fanboy in Ganguly was obvious as he talked about the legendary Diego Armando Maradona.<\/p>\n A lifelong fan of the iconic footballer, Dada said, ‘I remember I first met him at an interview he was doing with the media and I’m not exaggerating one word when I say it was a 20-minute interview and through it all, he was juggling a ball with his left leg and didn’t drop it once.’<\/p>\n ‘I’ve seen Messi, Ronaldo — even Pele play — but Maradona was special, he was blessed by the Almighty.’<\/p>\n