One of the finest ever captains to have led India, Sourav Ganguly, is turning out to be an even better administrator. Ganguly has donned many hats like the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, attending IPL governing council meetings, and selecting India’s head coach as one of the members of the CAC. Ganguly has his hands full with the administrative duties, and it is safe to say that the legendary batsman has done his job with utmost aplomb so far.
However, things could have been different for the cricketer-turned-administrator had he decided to follow his heart after retiring from international cricket. The swashbuckling batsman has revealed he was ‘desperate to become the coach of the national side’ before things turned out differently and he ended up becoming the CAB president.
“You should do what you can and not thinking about the outcome. You never know where life goes, you never know where life will take you. I went to Australia in 1999, I wasn’t even the vice-captain. Sachin (Tendulkar) was the captain and in three months I became the captain of India,” he said.
“When I got into administration, I was desperate to be the coach of the national side. (Jagmohan) Dalmiya called me and said ‘why you don’t you try for six months’. He passed away and none was around, so I became the CAB president. People take 20 years to become president. You have to live for the day,” Ganguly said while speaking at the India Today Conclave East 2017.
Ganguly had enjoyed a stellar career both as a player as well as captain. He led India to the final of the 2003 World Cup, Natwest Trophy triumph in England, several Test wins away from home and many other memorable victories. He represented India in 113 Tests, and 311 ODIs, scoring close to 20,000 runs with the help of 38 centuries and 107 fifties.
