Exclusive: Sourav Ganguly interview

Doosra interviewed Sourav Ganguly at Eden Gardens soon after he became the CAB president.

As his wont, dada was two hours late for the interview but he sort of made up with his frank views on Bengal and Indian cricket.

He chewed his nails throughout the interview until he was sufficiently manicured.

The tangled mass of assorted chains and lockets also made an appearance as he undid the first two buttons of his shirt which he, despite occasional provocations, did not take off or swirl.

We produce the interview verbatim below:

Doosra: Ah, here you are. We thought you won’t turn up at all.
Sourav Ganguly: Sorry, I’m late but don’t you think you should have got used to it by now? Bhagwan ke ghar der hain andher nahi. And you forgot they called me God of the off-side?

Doosra: Well, you have a point there, and a gully as well. Anyway, how does it feel to be the boss of Bengal cricket?
SG: Long ago, I asked “aapne dada ko bhule to nahin?” They proved they have not. I thank them for making me CAB boss though, honestly, I expected to lead ICC if not the UN. Anyway, CAB is a good launchpad I guess.

Doosra: So what are your plans for Bengal cricket?
SG: I promise a swift turnaround in Bengal cricket. They won’t have to wait for it like Steve Waugh had to wait for me at toss (bursts into laughter).

Doosra: Many expect you to identify youngsters who would form the nucleus of the future Bengal team, just as you did as Team India captain.
SG: I’m glad you asked this question. Well, I have decided Sehwag, Yuvraj, Kaif, Bhajji and Zaheer will form the core of the future Bengal team.

Doosra: What! But they are nearly done with competitive cricket and they play for other states!
SG: Sorry, I meant Sehwag junior, Yuvraj junior, Bhajji junior...See, it’s an ambitious, unprecedented project. Sehwag is so pissed off with Delhi that he won’t mind even if his son plays for Andaman Nicobar in Ranji Trophy. We have convinced Bhajji to get married soon and talks are on with Yuvraj as well to graduate from pie-chucker to bachelorhood-chucker. These are the baby steps for revival of Bengal cricket, if you know what I mean (winks).

Doosra: Quite radical, one must say.
SG: Yes, and if the plan materialises, it would rob other states of their own talents and enrich Bengal. So you can say I’m killing two Dickie Birds with one Sharon Stone -- I picked it from Sidhu, by the way.

Doosra: Hope you realise that cricket administration is not going to be a bed of roses. There will be people resisting every step. How do you plan to tackle them?
SG: Chappal se nahi, Chappell se maarunga. I will treat them like I used to treat left-arm spinners. You don’t worry about that.

Doosra: And what about Shah Rukh Khan?
SG: What about him?

Doosra: I mean he treated you badly at KKR, stripping you of captaincy then kicking you out of the team. Are we going to see him being banned at Eden Gardens just like he was at Wankhede?
SG: Don’t be silly. We are grown up men. I have put the entire KKR episode behind me. However, other members decided Shah Rukh will have to walk on his hands every time he wants to enter Eden Gardens, balancing an egg on a spoon in his mouth and two lighted candles on his soles. Well, I can’t always ignore majority view, you see. (winks)

Doosra: What are the reforms you have in mind for Bengal cricket?
SG: To improve our running between-the-wicket, we plan to abolish it altogether. We want our future generation batsmen to score only with 4s and 6s. We commissioned a study that suggests taking singles and twos significantly impedes a batsman’s ability to hit 4s and 6s in the same over, apart from greatly enhancing run-out risks. I agree, it’s not worth the risk.

Doosra: There is a rumour that your wife would be roped in as the team’s batting consultant. That’s not true for sure?
SG: What’s wrong with that? Dona will help our batsmen get their footwork right. Against the spinners, they need to come dancing down the track and who better than a professional dancer to teach them how to do it? Also she gets bored at home knitting sweater for me and the kids.

Doosra: And why did CAB choose Salman Khan, of all people, as the brand ambassador?
SG: I suspect you’re not aware of it but taking off shirt is universally recognized as a cathartic exercise, and my experience is no different. Modern cricket is much more stressful and the players need an outlet for their pent-up angst. Look at Salman, he has got into all sorts of troubles and still remains sane because he frequently goes topless. Besides, we wanted to tap into his hit-and-run experience. (winks)

Doosra: What is your immediate target as CAB chief?
SG: To get Ashok Dinda back down to earth. Poor lad, has leapt so high since his last delivery that got awkwardly stuck in one of the trees in maidan. Fire Brigade guys have reached there with ladder etc. Maybe we need to fill his boots with stones to keep him grounded or tether him to the stumps.

Doosra: And what’s your long-term target as the boss of Bengal cricket?
SG: To lead Bengal to a position where BCCI and eventually ICC will beg for CAB membership.

6 Reactions To The Eden Gardens Circus/Carnival

Kolkata feted KKR like it's going out of vogue.

I caught a glimpse of Mamata Banerjee clapping in a local TV channel. A few weren't sure they didn't see her even swaying, if not outrightly swinging those durable slippers, or Hawai Chappal (no blood relations whatsoever with Australian Chappell), as they Kol in Calcutta. Ok, call in Kolkata. Have it as you like folks.

Quite a few Bengali Bhadraloks were alarmed by what they called the brazen display of 'Oposongskriti' (cultural decadence is a lame translation of this priceless Bengali term).

Personally speaking, I'm a content man, convinced I've seen all there was to be seen.

In fact, I now have a story to tell my grandchildren. That of Shah Rukh Khan kissing the top of Mamata Banerjee's dome, the content of which remains one of 21st century's major unsolved mysteries.

Of course some of the SRK fans insist it should not be held against the showman and blame it on Kolkata's maddening heat, every time I think of it, it gives me a sensation that starts with a goose and ends with bumps.

When Doosra approached politicians and celebs to see how they viewed the celebration, some of the reactions were so sharp that a kid asked if he could borrow one to sharpen his pencil.

Sample the stuff:

Bappi Lahiri: I'm told all KKR player got a gold chain? You know what? First time I regret my Bollywood career and wish I were a cricketer. I feel like singing a sad song. "Pyar bina chain kahan re..." To hell with this song. It reminds me of that chain again!

Buddhadev Bhattacharjee: Communist Manifesto more or less covered it in the chapter which says "The Proletariats have nothing to lose but their chain". Well, the KKR players have nothing to lose but their gold chains. You know how rife pick-pocketing is in and around Eden Gardens area.

Mayawati: Mamata ji should immediate change Kolkata's name to Gautam Buddh Nagar. Arrey, in honour of Gautam Gambhir. And no Gautam Buddh Nagar is complete without a park with my statues.

Manmohan Singh: We strongly condemn the dastardly act and the culprits will be brought to book as and when they take some time off their busy schedule and make themselves available...hanji?... IPL celebration? O teri! Haan ji. Well, Madam G, matbal Madam ji, said instead of Sandesh, KKR players could have eaten a slice of pizza each. But then of course Mamataji knows better.

SM Krishna: On behalf of Pakistan't cricket-following public, I congratulate KKR, its owners and the city of Kolkata on this momentous victory. However, instead of gold chain or sandesh, I think they should have gifted the KKR WAGs a birkin bag each. I have 98 of them and it has got separate compartments for...err...seems this is Hina Rabbani's speech.

Navjot Singh Sidhu: Oye chha gaya guru, chha gaya! I admire Mamata ji, my friend. A CM who hectors the PM
whether AM or PM is a CM who's heard by PM and FM on AM and FM whether AM or PM. Samajh gaya na guru? Ok, let me start from the beginning. A CM who...

More Tests in Eden, please

Have you seen them in queue before the ticket counter, Sir? I have.

A student had bunked class. A clerk had played truant. A shopkeeper had concocted a cock-and-bull story for his bossy wife and a youth sold a white lie to his girlfriend to be in the same sweaty serpentine queue with strange people.

And they laughed heartily as they talked about how they made their way and admired each other's ingenuity.

Shoved now and then by the mounted police, these faceless people, brought together by a common passion, had to be inside, Sir.

For just being inside would insulate them from all the ills of their daily life. Inflation, unemployment, marginalization, ideological disillusion, political cynicism, diminishing role models...

In the end of it all, some returned home with a ticket in their pocket and a smug smile on their lip.

Others dragged themselves back. But it was not over yet. As is with life, there always are a few more stones to be turned.

And the match-morning, they would invariably be inside! Having begged, borrowed or stolen there passage.

And once inside, they do wonder, Sir.

They give Harbhajan his spunk, mojo and bragging right back.

They turn Butterfinger into Goldfinger and make Laxman take blinders and do strange things with his willow.

They send nostalgia permeating through the air. They talk reverently about Dravid and indulgently about Azhar. And moan how they miss Kumble.

Sir, they infuse new life in the corpse and make Test cricket jump off its bier and pirouette!

There must be something about these people. Let's have more Tests at Eden, sir.

Please.

Sachin twists ankle, Laxman down with gastroenteritis

Nothing is going right for poor Sachin Tendulkar these days. On the first day of Team India’s Kolkata camp ahead of Bangladesh tour, Sachin gave the side an injury scare when he sprained his right ankle.

Team management insisted, it’s not serious enough. Physio John Gloster was quick to rush and after some treatment, Sachin was seen limping off the Eden Gardens.

Sachin reportedly twisted his ankle while negotiating a Sreesanth bouncer.

Poor World Cup form, clamour for his retirement, tri-colour cake controversy and then “rested” (read dropped) from the ODI squad and then this injury. Things could not have been worse for Sachin.

Meanwhile, VVS Laxman failed to report for the Kolkata camp after being down with gastroenteritis.