Ganguly at home in Bristol
Probably the Bengali connection with the historic city kept him in a good mood on Thursday, reports Amol Karhadkar.
Probably the Bengali connection with the historic city of Bristol, which has a statue of reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who died in the city in 1833, kept Sourav Ganguly in a good mood on Thursday.
When it comes to talking, though, Ganguly always talks tough. And when he was asked about the lack of a coach, the instant reply was: "It's not that we don't have a coach. We have a fielding coach, a bowling coach and a manager. And I'm fine with it since it's worked for us."
So, do we really need to appoint a coach? "I am fine with the current set-up, but I don't have any say in decision making," he said. "After all, it's the decision of the Board."
Ganguly was not willing to talk about the Bengal players' exodus to the Indian Cricket League. All he said was, "It's their personal decision, so I cannot comment on it."
On his run out on Tuesday, Ganguly was nonchalant. "It was just one of those unfortunate dismissals," he said. "Sometimes you get bowled, sometimes you are caught, I got run out."
With five key players sitting out Thursday's practice, doubts were being raised on whether India would be able to field a fit eleven on Friday. Ganguly, however, rubbished such claims. "All of them are perfectly alright," he said. "It was just a precautionary measure."
Sachin’s emotional connect
Sachin Tendulkar scored a century on both his previous visits here, home to greats like WG Grace and Wally Hammond. And if the master batsman can repeat the feat, it would do a world of good for the Indian team.
No doubt, Tendulkar must have an emotional connection with the ground. Playing just two days after performing his father's final rites, Tendulkar came in to bat against Kenya and finished with an unbeaten 140 in just 101 balls. The innings also sealed India's first win in the 1999 World Cup.
Three years later, he came back and scored 113 against Sri Lanka. Tendulkar, who opted to rest in the dressing room on Thursday due to a body ache and cold, would once again be gunning to stand up and play an impressive knock against England on Friday.