My family helps me deal with pressure: Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly is no stranger to comebacks. The southpaw shows what he is capable of when the chips are down. So it is with quite a bit of confidence that he is coming back to IPL 4 to play for Pune Warriors after he remained unsold in the players' auction.

However, that does not mean people have lost faith in him. His wife Dona and teammate Yuvraj Singh have strong belief in his abilities. We caught up with him...

How are you feeling about being back?

It's a joyous moment. Cricket is not a game for me. It's my first love for which I am always passionate. I am extremely happy to be back.

You are in the team, but did not play the initial matches. What's the reason behind that?

I'll be playing the remaining matches. It takes time to get into the groove and adjust. I'm done with necessary conditioning and you'll soon see me playing. Every player needs some time for preparation, that's what I was doing.

The fans are eagerly waiting to see Dada giving a tough time to the bowlers...

(Smiles) Please do tell them they will not have to wait for too long.

Your wife (Dona) recently said you always wanted to play in the IPL...

That's nice of her. My family has been very supportive. They have never let me feel bogged down. It's because of them that I've perfected the art of dealing with pressure.

How did you feel after the players' auction? You were not picked by KKR.

I have nothing to say. I don't hold grudges against anyone. And that's all I want to say.

You have certainly experienced a lot. How will you narrate your journey?

Life is not easy. Struggles will always be there, but then sitting back and thinking about the past doesn't work. Rather, we should set new parameters and work to achieve the goal.

Yuvraj is quite excited to have you back on the squad. How do you feel about that?

That's nice to hear. He's a player with tremendous potential and it's good to be playing in the team that he is leading (smiles).

What's on your mind?

Nothing at all. I just want to go out and prove myself. The strategies in the crisp format of T20 tend to be rather different. I am just going to play my natural game.

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