Published 13:32 IST, July 8th 2020
Sourav Ganguly opens up about Sachin Tendulkar's two 'comical' requests for him in 1992
Sourav Ganguly was present on a talk show Breakfast with Champions where he shared some hysterical anecdotes involving his former teammate Sachin Tendulkar.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly celebrated his 48th birthday on Wednesday. The current BCCI President is one of the most celebrated cricketers in the country. The southpaw brought about a revolution in the Indian team and changed the way the game was played with his aggressive captaincy.
Sourav Ganguly shared a great camaraderie with several players from the team. However, his relationship was Sachin Tendulkar was unique. Both had been playing with each other since their teenage days. Their off-field chemistry helped them immensely on the field as well. Both have stitched numerous memorable partnerships over the years with each other too.
Sourav Ganguly birthday: BCCI President recalls hysterical incidents with Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly was present on a talk show Breakfast with Champions where he shared some hysterical anecdotes involving Sachin Tendulkar. Sourav Ganguly said that he had started using heavy bats around the same time as Sachin Tendulkar. He added that the feel of his bat was really liked by Sachin Tendulkar.
Sourav Ganguly further said that he was dropped from the team ahead of 1992 World Cup. He added that when once is dropped, most of them expect their teammates to console and motivate them to come back stronger the next time and sooner than expected. However, Sachin Tendulkar asked him for his bat instead after he was dropped. Sourav Ganguly joked that he has been dropped and his bat was being taken. So what else would be done to him after all?. However, Sourav Ganguly revealed that he gave his bat to Sachin Tendulkar for the 1992 World Cup, a tournament in which he starred despite India's failure.
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In the same chat, Sourav Ganguly revealed another comical incident. The BCCI President said that both of them were roommates in the 1992 Sydney Test and he wasn't getting an opportunity to play the series. Sourav Ganguly added that Sachin Tendulkar had failed to score runs in the first two Tests. The Bengal tiger revealed that ahead of the Sydney Test, Tendulkar woke up at around 2 AM while he was sleeping. When he woke up, he saw the lights were on and Tendulkar was batting.
Sourav Ganguly said that he asked Tendulkar to sleep as he had to bat the next day. Tendulkar replied by saying that he wasn't feeling sleepy and he was getting an adrenaline rush. Tendulkar further said that he was going to bat at No.6 and added that he would sleep in the dressing room. He asked Sourav Ganguly to wake him up in time when his turn came to bat during the match.
Sourav Ganguly concluded that he was worried that Tendulkar might not make it to the crease at all had wickets fallen in a heap, so his one eye was on the ground and the other on waking him up. The BCCI President further said that Tendulkar went out to bat and scored a century and recalled all the good times he had with Tendulkar. Many cricket pundits still opine that Tendulkar's two centuries on the 1992 tour, i.e. in Perth and Sydney respectively, catapulted Tendulkar's career to the next level, despite being just 19 back then.
Sourav Ganguly stats
In his Test career, if Sourav Ganguly stats are looked upon, he scored 7,212 runs in 113 Tests at an average of 42.2. He also scored 16 centuries and 35 fifties in the process. Sourav Ganguly stats in ODI's are staggering. In ODIs, Ganguly stats read 11,363 runs from 311 ODIs with 22 centuries. Ganguly is still India’s third-highest run and century scorer in ODIs behind Sachin Tendulkar and current captain Virat Kohli
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IMAGE COURTESY: TWITTER/ TRENDSSACHIN
Updated 13:32 IST, July 8th 2020