Top 100 Sourav Ganguly Quotes
“Bangladesh, despite producing big upsets in the past, doesn’t have the art of beating big teams consistently.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“But obviously captaincy is a long process. It takes its toll as time goes on.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“One-day cricket must be taken with equal importance to Test cricket.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I love playing England. The teas at Lord’s are good quality.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I used to watch Manchester United a lot when David Beckham was there, but not any more now he’s gone.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“My brother was a left-hander. When I was young, my father would say take your brother’s gloves and pads and play, so I picked up the bat left-handed.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“When you are successful, there is the pressure of performing consistently; when you are not, there is the pressure of coming back and doing well.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“When you play cricket for India, you are always under the scanner. You are always judged by others; you have to live up to it all.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“As much as you learn to handle failure, you must learn to handle success too, because that’s also important.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Administrators guide players and I have played for such a long time, I understand how it feels as a player. You can say I am a player’s administrator.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“It’s my one aim, my dream to win a series overseas.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I don’t believe in rankings. Sometimes the rankings surprise me. I don’t think it’s fair to judge a team on the basis of rankings.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Any captain will take some time to settle down. Nobody is an outstanding leader straightaway.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Fatherhood has changed me, I’ve become more patient.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“When you’re captain you get involved in a lot of things. You’re trying to get the best out of players and subconsciously, without knowing, it gets to you.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“As captain you’re involved immensely. You get worked up, you get carried away. It slowly dies down once you’re a player. You realise you’ve to take the back seat.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“They say with age your reflexes slow down. I’ve not felt it.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I think nobody has the right to talk about Sachin Tendulkar’s game. It’s just a phenomenon.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“In 2000 I became captain and stayed till 2005, and this was a very successful time in Indian cricket, so it was a satisfying tenure for me.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I was a firm believer that every cricketer needs to get a fair chance.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I made it pretty clear that if I’m captain, the best team has to play.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I’ve realised what my strengths are and what my strengths are not, and played accordingly.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“That happens on a cricket field. People have a go at each other. That’s fair, that’s fine. It’s called Test cricket. It’s not a day in the park.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I didn’t have a good time with Lancashire in 2000. Probably I’d played too much cricket and should have taken a rest, but I went there when the offer came because I had always had an ambition to play the county game in England. And I was a bit jaded. And I didn’t do myself justice. I want to put that right before I finish my career.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“That’s why every cricketer wants to play international cricket. First of all you’re playing for your country, secondly there’s a lot of media attention and thirdly, for India, there is so much support for us, especially in England. So you know what you are doing is important, and that motivates you, helps you get going.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Mistakes do happen and life goes on.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“On Edens Gardens pitch, nobody bowls well.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Rishabh Pant whenever he has got away from Delhi on good pitches, hard pitches where there is carry, he has been exceptional with the bat.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“There is nobody called Test bowler, one day bowler or T20 bowler. It just how you adapt and make a difference to your own game.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Sometimes as a player you do not want to get into a controversy.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I lost my captaincy after winning the series 2-0, and also getting a Test match 100. I never captained India after that. I couldn’t play one-day cricket in spite of being the best ODI player in the world at that time.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Health starts in the head and goes to the heart and other parts of the body.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I live in the present and do not look that far ahead.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Fortunately, being on TV has led me to have a stylist. I generally pick up what I want to wear, and get my stylist’s approval for it.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I love going to England and discovering new places in the countryside. I love the English weather and the freedom that the place gives.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“A captain sees you differently from the way you see yourself. You need a captain who can push you.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Absolutely, I used to run very fast between the wickets.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Running-between-the-wickets is the ability to convert ones into twos, twos into threes, and threes into fours. And to reach the wickets on time.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“IPL is pure sport. The glitz and glamour is just 15 per cent. 85% is actually professional, hard cricket.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“A good opening stand is always crucial for a team.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“In 1992, I was part of the Test team and played the Tri-series too. But, I missed the World Cup after being left out of the squad since I was fairly young.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I played my first World Cup game against South Africa where I scored 97 runs before being run-out by Jonty Rhodes.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Kohli is a huge addition to the side not just because of his batting but with his attitude as well. He lifts everyone on the field. There is so much passion in his cricket.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“If you are considered as favourites, you have stand up and deliver. You can’t make too many mistakes. You have to be the best.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“With high-profile jobs, comes pressure and competition.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Everything in life is about standing up and making the most of your opportunities.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“As captain of India, the world was at my feet and then I did not find myself in the team. Not many captains would find themselves in that position.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“In life when you get tested, when you get rejected by everyone and when you get pushed aside, you actually get the best out of it. That has been a learning curve for me.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“English conditions have changed over the years. Lots of runs are being scored in one-day cricket now in England, pitches are good for batting.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“In world cricket, I think Joe Root is a fine captain.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“England has some very good cricketers. And don’t rule West Indies out. They have some explosive players.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“There is no doubt that Nathan Lyon is a great spinner but so were Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Graeme Swann.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I wanted to take away the fear of failure from the youngsters because when I came into the Indian team I faced that pressure.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“When Virat Kohli plays, wherever you are you will come and watch that because he is playing. That is his impact. When you look at him, you will get to know that this man has a mission of making his team the best.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I have lot of hopes from Virat Kohli and nation believes in him.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“For me life is simple and consistent.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I cherish my entire life. I’ve been blessed with a life full of good memories.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“It’s Twenty20, anything can happen in the format. It’s very difficult to predict and pick a favourite team in this format.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“No matter what, Test cricket will survive. I’ve always said Twenty20 would be popular but there will be a place for Test cricket.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Captains are always criticised.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“When I first became captain of the Indian cricket team in 2000, many well-wishers and journalist friends gifted me the classic Mike Brearley book, ‘The Art of Captaincy.’ I mean no disrespect to the book or Mr, Brearley, who I admire a great deal, but books or team meetings don’t make you good captains.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I was inspired by the way the Aussies played their cricket. It was no-holds barred. They played to win.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“My captaincy model was characterised by two distinctive pillars. Proper identification of talent and then ensuring the young finds play fearless cricket.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“The battle to win – on the pitch and in the boardroom – begins and ends in one’s head.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I am a big fan of Virat Kohli. He is a captain who always wants to win matches on the field and I love that passion in him.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“One of my favourite sportsmen was Diego Maradona and every time I saw him play football you could see the passion in the heart.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I have got lot of faith in Virat Kohli. Whatever I’ve seen of him from the ground or TV, it gives me a lot of confidence.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“The moment a spinner gets turn he becomes dangerous.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“India, Pakistan series has always been decided by the government. We toured in 2003-04 when I was the captain and it was for the first time since 1989-90 that we toured Pakistan. There were times even in those days when the series was planned but would get cancelled. So you have to leave it to the government.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“You can call it my bias or love for Harbhajan but if you are picking three best spinners in the country, he’s got to be among them. Harbhajan is one bowler who should be playing all three formats of the game.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“A life of a sportsperson is approximately 14-15 years long and fatigue will be a part of it, but they have to manage that.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I was at the Wimbledon some time back and I saw Roger Federer play.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Ball-tampering has happened before. Bowlers and fielders have found different ways to get the ball roughened up on one side.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“You can’t be chasing 338 and still have 5 wickets in the end. It’s about mindset and the way you look at the game.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Age is never a factor if talent is there.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Ravindra Jadeja should not be in the World Cup team.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“My memories of playing against Pakistan have been happy times for India.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“My first trip as a captain against Pakistan in 2003 – we had never won there before, but then we won both the Test Matches and One-Days.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“When I go around in Kolkata, I do not get hassled.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I am a very quiet person off the field, very laidback like a lot of Bengalis.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Pakistan always play well in England.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“You don’t want to turn up like a Nepal or an Ireland where the entire world thinks that you’re not going to win. You rather turn up like an India or an Australia or an England where everybody says this team is going to win the World Cup.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“The most important thing in IPL is to select the players. You don’t get much time to develop a team so it’s important to pick the right players.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Wrist spinners have been successful in world cricket. Look at Shane Warne.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Kohli is a flag bearer of Indian cricket.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Kohli is the greatest chaser by far and I am saying this keeping in mind the great man Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin was special but as far as chasing is concerned, Kohli has done better than Sachin. Kohli is unreal.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I have many, many fond memories of Yuvraj Singh. He started under my captaincy.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Playing on the field is different from providing inputs sitting in the dugout.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I really liked the biopic of Milkha Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“We are all human beings. We are not machines that everything you put in comes out perfect.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“You have just got to live life and let others live.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Look at Virat Kohli, he is such a fantastic role model. India is a fortunate country. Every generation produces players who all of us cherish.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“A strong India is very, very important for world cricket.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“There’s one must in life: whatever job you do, wherever you are, whatever age you have, how much experience you have, you have to keep performing at the top level otherwise someone else will take your place.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“I didn’t play an ODI game for 15 months when I was probably the best performer in one-day cricket. It happens in life. The best in the world are at times shown the door.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“In your journey to the tag of winning-at-all-costs you can still behave, you can still do the right things by not crossing the line. Lot of champions have done it. Look at Rahul Dravid, Steve Waugh.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“When I was captain, John Wright was making all the decisions and I followed like an obedient student.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Twenty20 is must for cricket. Without T20, cricket cannot survive.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“We Indians react under pressure.”
― Sourav Ganguly
“Look, I was the captain of India for five years. I was one of the stars, a popular face in India.”
― Sourav Ganguly
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