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For three and a half many years, Sachin Tendulkar has seen Sourav Ganguly in various avatars — a precocious teen, a proficient India contender, a attractive batter, a chief and a hectic administrator. But for India’s biggest at any time batter, what has stood the exam of time is their friendship which is nonetheless intact and stable, prolonged immediately after they have the two stopped taking part in intercontinental cricket.
As the BCCI president turns 50 on Friday, his “opening husband or wife” opened up with PTI, sharing a lot of insights into their friendship and how he seemed at Ganguly as a long term captain when he himself was foremost India.
Inquire him how much liberty Ganguly gave his players for the duration of his in close proximity to five-12 months tenure as skipper, Tendulkar was effusive in his praise. “Sourav was a terrific captain. He knew how to preserve a balance — concerning offering independence to the gamers and providing them specific responsibilities,” Tendulkar informed PTI. “When he took around, Indian cricket was in a changeover section. We necessary the next bunch of players who could set a system for propelling India forward.”
Wings to fly
Tendulkar feels that Ganguly gave a large amount of world course gamers wings to fly and carve their personal area of interest. “At that time, we discovered leading course players — Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra to title a couple of. They were gifted gamers, but even gifted gamers need support at the get started of their professions, which Sourav supplied.
“Even though their roles were being outlined in the workforce, they also acquired the flexibility necessary to categorical themselves,” he claimed.
The learn batter disclosed how prior to the 1999 tour of Australia, which was his 2nd-previous sequence as captain, Tendulkar in his head was very clear, who was all set to consider above in circumstance he decided to stage down from captaincy.
“Just before stepping down, during India’s tour of Australia in which I was the captain, I experienced prompt Sourav to be created the vice-captain of the group,” Tendulkar disclosed. “I experienced found him from near quarters, performed cricket with him, and realized he had the ideal attributes to get Indian cricket forward. He was a superior chief. I consequently suggested his identify.
“Sourav never seemed again and what he has attained for India is out there for all of us to see,” reported Tendulkar, who had also for the duration of later many years, had recommended Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s identify as a foreseeable future captain.
Greatest opening pair in Indian Exam cricket
May possibly be the off-discipline camaraderie is the explanation that on-discipline, India by no means experienced a improved pairing in white-ball cricket. In all, the duo experienced 26 century stands among them and 21 of them came when they opened the batting with each other.
“Sourav and I gave our most effective. We wanted to participate in our areas in what the staff essential and we required to win matches for India. But beyond that, we hardly ever considered about something. We are grateful to the persons, for looking at us a fantastic opening pair and for appreciating what we had been able to do for India,” said Tendulkar, who has always been an epitome of humility.
Debut tour of 1991 and grand comeback in 1996
Ganguly initially played for India in 1992 and then was out in the wilderness till 1996 but even during individuals times when landline telephones had been the only method of relationship, the duo kept in touch.
“During the 1991 tour, Sourav and I shared a space. We loved the time spent with every other. We understood just about every other from our Less than-15 times as properly, so there was a very good rapport among the two of us. We did meet on a number of situations right after the 1991 tour as very well. All those times, as opposed to nowadays, there have been no mobile phones — thus we couldn’t be in contact regularly. On the other hand, our friendship continued throughout all those people several years.”
The boyhood yrs
They had 1st achieved at a BCCI-organised junior match in Kanpur and then put in a whole lot of time together at an once-a-year camp in Indore which employed be performed by BCCI with late Vasu Paranjape staying in-cost.
“We played in opposition to each other in Kanpur in a match right before the camp in Indore. We had also absent to England symbolizing the Star Cricket Club beneath Kailash Gattani.
“But the Underneath-15 camp in Indore was possibly when we expended so a lot time collectively and obtained to know every other. It was the begin of what has turned out to be a fantastic friendship that both of those of us share.”
Flooding Ganguly’s room
Tendulkar fondly remembered how he, a different previous India player and afterwards national selector Jatin Paranjape (Vasu’s son) and a further boy Kedar Godbole literally “flooded” Ganguly’s room. They poured buckets of h2o inside the space when he was fast asleep.
“I try to remember Sourav was sleeping throughout an afternoon. Jatin Paranjpe, Kedar Godbole and I crammed his area with water. He woke up and was obviously clueless about what was taking place, his suitcases ended up floating. Ultimately, he realised it was me, Jatin and Kedar who had carried out it. Pals retain actively playing pranks on every single other and our childhood was no diverse,” he explained with a snicker.
It was even funnier and at occasions adventurous for the duration of their to start with-at any time foreign excursion to United Kingdom with the Star Cricket Club.
“We stayed in faculties that were like old castles and naturally it seemed a bit terrifying. To make factors worse, buddies would get with each other and system to scare the others even much more. Many years later, when I think back, these are the moments of friendship that stand out and make me smile.”
