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A burden off my shoulders: Ganguly

Amitabha Das Sharma

Spinners will play an important role, says the former captain

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

VERY VERY SPECIAL: Sourav Ganguly got his first Test century on his home ground, while V.V.S. Laxman, who also got a hundred, continued his love affair with Eden Gardens.

KOLKATA: All through his illustrious career as a batsman Sourav Ganguly has been “burdened” with the pain of not getting a Test century on his home ground — the Eden Gardens.

The agony that had piled up over more than a decade dissipated on Saturday afternoon.

The ‘Prince of Kolkata’, as Ganguly is endearingly known, finally realised the dream. “It has taken a big burden off my shoulders,” said a relieved Ganguly.

Fans’ delight

The crowd cheered its hero all through as Ganguly stroked his way to the magic figure. The realisation of the target was met with the loudest roar of the day as Ganguly leapt in unbounded joy after having pushed Danish Kaneria for a single.

The ecstasy reflected in his responses when he faced the media at the end of the day. “This century is really special. A century is nice anywhere but when it happens in Eden Gardens it is something very special,” he said. “The celebration has to be special as it has come for the first time on home ground,” said Ganguly, explaining the leap of ecstasy.

The former India skipper admitted he had made minor adjustments to tackle Sohail Tanvir. “He (Tanvir) bowls well to left-handers so I had to make some adjustments,” he said.

Among his other successful colleagues with the bat, he picked Wasim Jaffer for praise.

“He is a fantastic player. I have always been a fan of openers who can play the shots. This ability has made me admire (Virender) Sehwag also,” Ganguly said.

Ganguly said the big total was likely to stand India in good stead as, “the pitch is likely to become difficult on the fourth and fifth days.”

In a statement that would encourage the Indian spin duo Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, Ganguly said: “I feel the spinners will be making the most important contribution from now on.

“The reverse swing will also come in handy.”

On Kirsten

Ganguly made a cautious statement when asked about his feelings about Gary Kirsten, who is almost certain to be the next Indian coach.

“He has been appointed by the coaches committee (of BCCI). I have played a lot of cricket with Gary and respect his ability as a player. But his job as a coach will be quite challenging,” he said.

Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson was also quite circumspect about his statements on the future of the match. “Playing Tests in different venues is all about balance between the bat and the ball. This pitch appears more tilted towards batting. But after five days if there is an exciting draw, you can say it is okay,” he said.

Lawson said the pitch was playing well and there was a lot of good batting to come.

The Pakistan coach praised Danish Kaneria for “outstanding bowling” and said Mohammad Sami was unfortunate in not getting a wicket despite “trying hard” all along.

He said Shoaib Akhtar’s illness had been a matter of concern. “He made the decision to play but has not been able to give his best because of his illness. We have to go along with it,” Lawson said.

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