Sourav Ganguly: I want to become India coach one day

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly talks about his ambitions for India's coaching job, his secret to staying and why class trumps all in cricket.

"Not now, but definitely some day," says Dada about ambitions to coach the Indian cricket team.

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly on Friday said he aspires to be India’s cricket coach some time in future but has no interest in the high-profile position at this point.

The hunt is on for a new India coach with incumbent Ravi Shastri’s tenure coming to an end at the end of the tour of the West Indies.

“Definitely, I’m interested but not at this point of time. Let one more phase go then I will throw my name into the fray,” Ganguly said.

WATCH : More than 2000 apply for India cricket head coach job

The 47-year-old is currently the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, besides being associated with IPL franchise Delhi Capitals as the team Advisor. He also does cricket commentary and is the host of a popular Bengali quiz show.

“Currently, I’m associated with too many things - IPL, CAB, TV commentary. Let me complete this. But I will definitely put my hat at some stage. Provided I get selected. I'm definitely interested. Not now, but in the future,” Ganguly said at an event in Kolkata.

One of India's most successful captains, Ganguly was the chairman of the previous Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which picked Shastri as the Head coach last time.

The recently-appointed CAC, led by Kapil Dev with Anshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy as other members, is all set to pick the new coach.

But it seems that Shastri, who has reapplied for the post, might get another term with the India captain Virat Kohli openly endorsing his candidature.

Kapil Dev also said that the skipper’s opinion needs to be “respected“.

READ :‘Compatibility’ and ‘approach’ is key – Rangaswamy on India coach selection

Ganguly noted that there were not many big names in the fray this time around.

“Going by the applicants, I don’t see any heavyweight names. I heard Mahela (Jayawardene) would apply but ultimately he didn’t. There are not many big names who have applied for the coach’s job.

“Ultimately I don’t know what the panel will decide. They have been around for a while. We will have to wait and see how long a term the coach will get.”

The former left-hander however refused to comment on Shastri’s tenure.

“I will hold my opinion on that. I don’t think it’s right for me to say anything about that. I’m too far from the system that decides the coach,” Ganguly said.

- On India's tour of the West Indies -

After the ODI World Cup, where India lost in the semifinals, it will be back on the road with a full series in the West Indies, beginning with the first T20I in Florida on Saturday.

Ganguly, meanwhile, said India’s upcoming series against the reigning World T20 champion, will be tough. West Indies has also defeated England 2-1 earlier this year at home.

“West Indies in West Indies will be a lot stronger. T20 is their preferred format. They enjoy playing T20s and they are the current World T20 champions. The two matches in Florida will be tough games.

READ : India squads for Windies tour announced: Rohit and Saha back in Tests, Bumrah rested for limited-over games

“Test matches will also be tough as they played very well against England. It won’t be an easy West Indies tour as it was five years ago. India will be challenged. There are a lot of young players in the team,” Ganguly said.

“As I’ve said before you want to see these young players get consistent opportunities. You keep saying horses for courses but I feel ‘don’t judge a horse if you want to keep them on the course’ Consistency is important for rhythm and confidence,” he added.

- On how IPL has helped him stay in shape -

Ganguly also said he is enjoying his time with Delhi IPL side. “The team had struggled for a number of times and we were joint number one after 14 matches. It’s been a great season for Delhi, hope we will go further.

“Looking after the Delhi Capitals team and being with the team right through the season... which I will be in the future as well. It helped me work with the players and stay fit. That’s also one of the reasons I am in shape.

“I work hard to stay young, stay fit. The hardest thing is when you stop playing but you still have to stay fit. When you stand for six hours in a Test match, you automatically stay in shape.

“When you stop playing though, I train very hard. That’s the way I’ve been. I’ve been involved with sports in a different way,” he added.

 - On Steve Smith's comeback century -

Ganguly heaped praise on Steve Smith whose brilliant century helped Australia recover from 122/8 to reach a competitive 284 in the opening Ashes Test.

“Class is permanent and you could see it. These sort of hundreds will remain in everybody’s memory. Now they have a big chance of winning the match. First innings scores are very important. From that point of view, it’s a fantastic hundred.

“To be away for a year and play the World Cup...he has had a quiet World Cup. And then to start the Ashes with a century, especially when the team was down was a remarkable effort. Ashes is the biggest England-Australia battle,” Ganguly said.

 

With inputs from IANS