I will like to coach the national team - Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has said on Saturday that he would like to be the coach of the Indian team, if such an opportunity comes his way. "Though it's not my immediate goal, I will like to coach the national team. It will be a great honour," Ganguly said on Saturday while addressing the India Today Youth Summit in Delhi.

He will, however, like to do things differently from former India coach Greg Chappell because of which he had to lose his captaincy and later his place in the team. "I think the captain is the boss of the team, the coach should remain backstage," he said.

In the session Going For Broke chaired by Headlines Today Executive Editor Rahul Kanwal, Ganguly said his coaching will revolve around five central rules: friendly relations with media, no use of media to sideline a player, being honest with players, work with the players, gaining their confidence and staying at the backstage.

On being asked what keeps him going, the Bengal Tiger said that the love for the game inspired him to make several comebacks. "After I was dropped from the team in 2006, even my father thought I would not get any chance. But I had faith in myself. I still get high when I score runs," he said.

He admitted cricket was not his first choice. Like most Bengali teenagers, his first love was football. But injuries forced him to give up football and he turned to the game he would rule when he was in Class IX. "My elder brother played cricket, so I started going out with him to play. That's how it began," said Ganguly.

He also said that his cricketing journey, filled with so many ups and downs, has moulded his character. It has taught him that winning was not always everything. "Of course people expect you to win every time, and you can't move ahead if you don't deliver, but the most important part is the amount of struggle you go through to achieve your goal." he said, "There are more bad days in sports than good ones. But people remember the good days only." He said that failures have made him a better person.

On being asked how it felt to sit out of the team, Ganguly said that it was like a punch to his face. "When I was out of the team, the newspapers made me feel like everything I had done for Team India was wrong. Then I got picked up after six months and suddenly people said there was none better than me. That's when I realised winning is not everything," he said adding that "it's not important how many times you fall, but how you get up every time".

He advised youngsters not to worry much about winning as that adds pressure. "If you are honest to you profession, some day you will surely win."

The southpaw also praised the efforts of boxer Mary Kom who despite several hardships and obstacles has brought glory to the country by becoming World Woman Boxing Champion five times in a row.

The most successful Indian captain ever, Ganguly attributed his success to his teammates. "A team-mate is as good as his team. I had so many talented players in the team and they delivered. We must remember cricket is a team game." Among all the captains he played under he singles out Tendulkar as the best. "Everyone, including my father, points to Tendulkar's captaincy record when I say this, but I really blossomed as a cricketer under Sachin," he said.

Ganguly, who opened in ODIs with Tendulkar, said that he considered the 60-plus partnerships with the master blaster as the most memorable in his career. "After we lost to Australia in the World Cup 2003, there was a huge public reaction against our dismal performance. Our next match was against Zimbabwe and I was very tense. Tendulkar came up to me and said that it was the most crucial game of his life and we must win it. It was a small partnership, but it changed our course in the World Cup and we reached the final," he said. On being asked if he could do something differently in the 2003 World Cup final, he said, "I wish we could bowl better. Every time I asked Zaheer to bowl a particular delivery, he did the opposite."

He also admitted that his tactic of keeping former Australian captain Steve Waugh waiting for him during the toss was a deliberate one. "It was my way of being at the same level as they were." He also recounted his encounter with Steve Waugh the very next year at Brisbane where Waugh had asked him, "Could you be on time for the toss this time?" "Only if you stop writing," replied Ganguly.

Clearly in a mood to interact with the youngsters present at the summit, Ganguly was at his wittiest best. "Was hitting sixes against leg spinners your success mantra," asked one delegate to which Ganguly replied, "It was my way of venting out my frustration after facing the fire from the Pollocks and Bret Lees."

On being asked how he had felt after taking off his shirt at the Lord balcony after India had won the NatWest series against England, he said, "I felt cold as it was very cold in London." He also said that he might take off his shirt again if Kolkata Knight Riders win the IPL.

Ganguly believes that Indian cricketers are not involved in match-fixing. He however refused to agree that it's not about Pakistani players only. "The bookies know who to approach. They observe the players, their behaviours and how they speak to the press or on TV." On being asked how he dealt with the match fixing crisis after he took over the reigns of Team India in 2000, he said, "Almost all the players were new. So we made a fresh beginning. We did not talk about it. I did not have to deal with it much."

Ganguly also sees no wrong in politicians managing sports. "If their intentions are right, anyone can manage sports. But it's better if administration is managed by politicians and the sports aspect by players," he said. The former India captain believes that the Commonwealth Games in India will pass off successfully. "India has the huge ability of surviving disasters. It's not okay to blame one person for what is happening. If it fails, all are to be blamed."

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