Ganguly timely returns
Bishwajit Roy
Sourav Ganguly took a few moments to recall that historic day when he went out to toss with Naimur Rahman 10 years ago at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. It was November 10, 2000; a memorable day for the country's cricket as Bangladesh began life as a Test-playing nation on that particular day.
"I must confess I can't remember why this day is significant," responded Ganguly when asked whether he could remember the day's importance.
The former India captain, who arrived yesterday to grace the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 countdown function in Dhaka, dealt with the googly while speaking with the reporters at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Once given a hint, he quickly recalled: "Yes, I can remember everything now. It was Bangladesh's inaugural Test match and they scored 400-plus runs in the first innings," replied Ganguly.
It was also a small piece of history as it was not just Ganguly's first Test as India's captain, but the first time in cricket history when two Bengali-speaking skippers led their sides.
India's most successful Test captain believed Bangladesh have improved a lot in the last 10 years since they have been elevated into the elite club.
"There were some good players in the squad when we played the first Test against them but there are a number of quality players in the team now. The recent performance against New Zealand showed the real sign of improvement," said Ganguly.
"I keenly follow Bangladesh cricket and watched all the matches against New Zealand. The 4-0 scoreline was amazing. I think their performance has significantly improved in the last one year. There are young players like Shakib [Al Hasan] and Tamim [Iqbal] who are showing their characters," he added.
"The good sign is that the players are performing but there are still a lot of areas they must improve on.
"I believe they will become a much better side soon if they continue their improvement. The improvement in the longer-version might not be satisfactory but you can't expect everything overnight," he said.
Ganguly was confident about Bangladesh's success in the upcoming World Cup as he thinks that the slow bowlers have an advantage in home conditions.
"Staging the World Cup and performing in it is a totally different thing. I firmly believe Bangladesh has the quality to play good cricket in the coming World Cup in their own conditions. They already proved against New Zealand that how good they are in their home soil," opined Ganguly, who considered the 2003 World Cup performance as the best in his career.
He also said that Bangladesh were on the right track now under the guidance of Australian coach Jamie Siddons.
"I never got any concrete offer from Bangladesh about a coaching job. I think the team is doing well under Jamie [Siddons], so there is no need to involve more people. But I'm always interested in Bangladesh cricket," said Ganguly.
He however suggested that Bangladesh must go for long-term planning. "World Cup is important but they must think beyond the mega event. The important thing is that they must perform abroad. It's nice to watch Tamim hitting a hundred at Lord's. Some other players also performed in different conditions," he observed.
One of the greatest one-day batsmen of all time, Ganguly emphasises on the longer-version cricket although the Twenty20 format is seemingly taking the centre-stage these days. The latest version of the game could be a big threat for a country like Bangladesh who are yet to get a firm grip of the longer-version.
"Twenty20 is financially lucrative and there is also huge public interest in it because of the short time it takes [to complete the game]. But Test cricket is the real deal.
"One can be successful in any format if he is good in Test cricket. So, young cricketers must concentrate on that format," advised Ganguly, informing that he has a plan to play in the Indian Premier League for two more years.
Besides cricket there was an obvious question about his popular TV show "Dadagiri".
"I'm really enjoying this show," said a smiling Ganguly.
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