Published 15:36 IST, July 17th 2020

Sourav Ganguly dropped in 1992 was best thing that happened to Indian cricket: Arun Lal

Cricketer-turned-commentator Arun Lal heaps praise on former Indian captain and current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and said his "best years are yet to come".

SportFit
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Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly is widely considered among the finest Indian captains of all time. Even after his retirement, he continues to serve Indian cricket albeit as a cricket administrator as he is currently the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He made his international playing debut in 1992 and was appointed as India’s captain in the year 2000. In a recent interview, cricketer-turned-commentator Arun Lal talked about the time when he first saw Sourav Ganguly back when the current BCCI President was just 16 or 17 years old.

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Arun Lal heaps praise on BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

A former Indian cricketer himself, Arun Lal, recently interacted with Sportskeeda in an interview. He said that he was always a fan of Sourav Ganguly and described him just “as special” as batting icon Sachin Tendulkar. Arun Lal said that he first saw the left-handed batsman during an exhibition match in Kolkata in the late 1980s where the then youngster struck about six to seven sixes easily.

While Sourav Ganguly made his ODI debut in 1992, he was dropped from the side soon after and made his Test debut about four years later at Lord’s. According to Arun Lal, Ganguly was “gutted and devastated” when he was dropped from the side. The commentator believes that if the cricketer was not dropped at that stage, “he wouldn’t have become what he has now”. Arun Lal further claimed that Sourav Ganguly’s phase out of the team gave him time “to mature, to understand and recollect himself” through which he was able to make a strong comeback later.

Sourav Ganguly was appointed as BCCI President in October 2019. At present, the former cricketer along with the board committee is reportedly considering several measures to organise the now-postponed Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season later this year. As he continues to serve his role as BCCI President, Arun Lal predicted that “we haven’t the seen the best of him yet” as his best years are yet to come.

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Sourav Ganguly corona scare

Sourav Ganguly was placed under home quarantine on Wednesday, July 15 after his brother and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Secretary Snehasish Ganguly tested positive for coronavirus earlier on the same day. A source close to the BCCI President told PTI that the former cricketer will be put in isolation for a stipulated period as per health protocols.

Sourav Ganguly house tour

In 2018, Sourav Ganguly appeared in an Asian Paints commercial through a season 2 of their web series ‘Where The Heart Is’. He appeared in the second episode of the season where the cricketer is seen giving a tour of the house where he spent his entire childhood. In the video, he can also be seen showing the hall where he keeps his trophies as memories.