‘He was convinced that it could be his last game’: Dasgupta shares interesting story on Sourav Ganguly’s 49th Birthday
Former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta, in his latest YouTube video, narrated a story describing how mentally strong the former India skipper was during his captaincy days.
Former wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta has revealed an interesting anecdote about BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. As the latter celebrates his 49th birthday on Thursday, Dasgupta narrated a story describing how mentally strong the former India skipper was during his captaincy days.
As a leader, Ganguly had played a huge role in shaping up the careers of many young players and backing them through thick and thin. Deep Dasgupta was one such cricketer who had received support from his Bengal teammate.
Dasgupta, in his latest YouTube video, spoke about an incident that happened back in 2002. India were gearing up for a Test match against Zimbabwe in Delhi and the then India captain was sceptical about his batting performance. He told Dasgupta that it could be his last game if he failed to score. The former stumper couldn’t believe it as Ganguly was the captain of the team and it was highly unlikely that he would get dropped.
But the next day, he went out to bat and scored a phenomenal hundred which shows how he thrived under pressure.
“I haven't seen anyone as mentally strong as Dada (Sourav Ganguly). On the eve of a Test match against Zimbabwe in Delhi, he told me 'This could be my last match'. I was surprised and couldn't believe what he was saying. I mean, he was the captain. How could he get dropped? But he was quite convinced that if he doesn't score, it could be his last game. And guess what happened?
“Zimbabwe used to be a good side then with all the stalwarts in Flower brother and Heath Streak. The next day, he goes out there and gets a hundred. Later in the evening, I asked him if he was happy. He said, 'I'm more than happy.
“This is what greats are made off. That just shows how mentally strong he was,” Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.
Ganguly took charge when Indian cricket was going through a tough phase. The scars of match-fixing had affected the environment in the dressing room. That was the moment when he began scripting a new chapter in the history of the game. Dasgupta hailed the former captain for changing the face of Indian cricket.
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“Wherever the Indian team is today, to a great extent, it is because of him, Sourav Ganguly. He has been an inspiration for millions, personally too since the first time I met him till date,” Dasgupta concluded.
