I Realised There Is No Point In Stopping Him - Sourav Ganguly Recalls A Funny Incident With Virender Sehwag That Taught The Skipper A Captaincy Lesson In 2002 Natwest Final

Former India captain and the current BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly takes a trip down memory lane to recall how his opening partner, Virender Sehwag, taught him a lesson in man-management while batting together during a high-pressure run-chase in the 2002 Natwest Trophy final against England at Lord’s.

Courtesy of hundreds from captain Nasser Hussain and opener Marcus Trescothick England put a massive total – in those it was massive – of 325 runs. In reply, India got off to a flying start with a hundred-run stand between Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag.

Sourav Ganguly speaks about the 13th over of the chase, bowled by medium-pacer Ronnie Irani, where Sehwag smashed him for 4 boundaries; all the 4 shots in the over were fraught with risks- a chip over mid-wicket, guide to third-man, paddle to fine leg, and wristy flick going past square leg.

The left-hander says that despite his requests to Sehwag to play carefully, his partner went playing his natural and aggressive game – making Sourav Ganguly understand that a good “captain needs to adjust to a player’s thinking”.

“We were chasing 325 in that final. When we walked out to open, I was very disappointed and disturbed but Sehwag said we will win. We had a good start (82 in 12 overs) and I told him that since we had seen off the new ball bowlers, he should not lose his wicket and focus on singles,” Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by India Today.

“But when Ronnie Irani came in to bowl his first over, and Sehwag smashed a four off the first ball. I walked up to him and said we have a boundary, now let us take singles. But he didn’t listen and hit a four off the second ball too. He hit a four off the third ball too. I was very angry. Then he hit one off the fifth ball too. I realized there is no point in stopping him since his natural style of play is aggressive,” he added.

India suffered a collapse after the opening partnership. However, two youngsters, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif took the side home to register a historic victory.

I don’t consider the 1992 series as a failure: Sourav Ganguly

The 48-year-old also talked about his ODI debut in the 1992 Benson and Hedges World Series – a tri-series between India, West Indies, and hosts Australia. The left-hander played just a solitary game in the tournament and scored 3 runs on his debut.

“I don’t consider the 1992 series as a failure. I didn’t get much opportunity to play. But it helped me to become a better cricketer. I did training for the next 3-4 years and became mentally and physically strong,” the former skipper further added.

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