The former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president and Sourav Ganguly said that, all the teams enjoy home conditions, referring to the Matthew Hayden-Ravi Shastri controversy.

Arguing that he had the right to speak for the betterment of the game, as he had an experience of playing 103 tests, Hayden hit back at India team director Ravi Shastri’s swipe at Australian critics of the spin-friendly pitch prepared for the recent Nagpur Test.
 
Responding to that, Ganguly said, “All teams enjoy their home conditions.”

Ganguly further added that, Virat Kohli would take over as captain in all formats.

He even reminded about how he went against the selectors to have then leg-spinner Anil Kumble on board, for the famous tour to Australia in 2003-2004.

Speaking about the same, Ganguly said, “They were opting for a left-arm off-spinner and choosing Murali Kartik for the tour saying that Kumble does not pick many wickets outside India. But I just would not leave without having Kumble in the squad, I said,’I am not leaving till I have him in.’ And finally at 2 ’o clock at night the selectors agreed.”  

In the series, Anil Kumble had given his best performance and took 24 wickets and thus supported India to draw 1-1 series.

Ganguly, who retired from the international cricket in 2008 said, he could have done the same, two years earlier, when he was out of the Indian team, but said he did not do so as he did not want to regret the decision later.

“The biggest setback for me was getting dropped in 2006, because of Greg Chappell. But then I had just got a century against Zimbabwe. The incident changed me as a person,” Ganguly said.

“I then came back to score my first double hundred against Pakistan, and I got my first ever Test ton at the Eden Gardens. Sachin (Tendulkar) told me he had never seen me batting better before. At times you have to be stubborn and passionate and love your job.”

By Phani Ch