Sourav Ganguly Reveals That Sachin Tendulkar Always Had Two Answers, Based On His Form, For Not Facing The First Ball

Sourav Ganguly, former Indian captain and the current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar are the most successful opening pair in the history of One-day International cricket.

Ganguly and Tendulkar opened the innings for Team India on 176 occasions, in which they racked up 8227 runs at an average of 47.55. The champion duo shared a total of 26 three-figure stands and 29 half-century stands and in the majority of those stands, it was the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ who used to take the first strike.

Sachin Tendulkar’s resistance towards facing the new ball is well documented [he faced the first ball on just 47 occasions in 340 innings as an opener] and, according to Ganguly, the ‘God of Cricket’ always used to have two answers ready for not playing the first ball, depending on his current form.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Picks NatWest Trophy Win As One Of The Greatest Moment Of His Captaincy Career

“Always he did”- Sourav Ganguly on Sachin Tendulkar’s resistance towards facing the first ball

Mayank Agarwal, the incumbent Indian Test opener, asked Sourav Ganguly whether it is true that Sachin always used to force him to face the first ball of the innings during his show ‘Open Nets with Mayank ‘

“Always he did. He had an answer to that and I used to tell him ‘yaar sometimes you also face the first ball. He had 2 answers to it – he believed when his form was good it should continue and that he should remain at the non-striker’s end, and then when his form wasn’t good he said ‘I should remain at the non-striker’s end because it takes the pressure off me’,” Sourav Ganguly said on Mayank Agarwal’s show ‘Open Nets with Mayank’, in a sneak peak posted by the BCCI on their official Twitter handle.

Sachin Paji always forced you to take the strike while opening with you in ODIs? Myth ? Reality ?

Listen to what Dada has to say ?#DadaOpensWithMayank episode coming up soon on https://t.co/uKFHYe2Bag @mayankcricket @SGanguly99 pic.twitter.com/YM0yEatMcE

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 6, 2020

Ganguly revealed that he had to quietly sneak in at the non-striker’s end whenever he did not want to face the first ball.

“He had an answer for both, good form and bad form. Until and unless somedays you walk past him, went and stood at the non-striker’s end and he was already on TV and he would be forced to be at the striker’s end. That has happened one or two times, I’ve just walked past him and stood at the non-striker’s end,” Sourav Ganguly revealed.

Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Says He And Sachin Tendulkar Could’ve Scored Another 4000 Runs Under Modern ODI Laws