Sourav Ganguly interview: Dada opens up on Sachin Tendulkar, Greg Chappell, Lord's...and Collins Obuya

Having taken up various roles after his retirement from international cricket a decade ago, the latest of which happens to be that of an administrator, Indian cricket legend Sourav Ganguly debuts in a new capacity -- that of a writer.

The former India captain, who led India to many a memorable victories and is considered one of the most gifted left-handed batsmen the sport has ever seen, enters a new innings with the launch of his book titled A Century Is Not Enough. 

In an interview with Firstpost, 'Dada' -- as he was popularly known amongst teammates and fans -- doesn't describe it as an autobiography but as a "mind book", one that will be of great help to anyone overwhelmed by challenges, whether in cricket or in other walks of life.

Sourav Ganguly represented India in 113 Tests and 311 ODIs. AFP

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In the book, which is co-authored by veteran sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya, Ganguly addresses a variety of issues -- from the 1991-92 tour of Australia, making it count in England four years later and all the way to the final days of his cricketing career towards the end of the 2008 season.

In the interaction, Ganguly discussed some of the most important talking points from his storied career, including the success story that happens to be his on-field partnership with Sachin Tendulkar, as well as the dark chapter that was Greg Chappell.

Talking about his on-field chemistry with Tendulkar, "brilliant" was the word that Ganguly chose to describe it with.

"For 15 years of our career, the best time of our lives, we were together, so great memories! Great memories of Sachin, great memories of Dravid, Anil. Yes, you get annoyed, you get upset when you are together for a long period of time. But at the end of the day, the memories, the camaraderie, friendship is much above all this," said Ganguly.

Many would remember his comeback innings of 51 at the Wanderers in 2006, a time when he was running out of favour with the team management, but not many would recollect his hard-fought 46 in the third one-dayer in the 1996 tour of England. Ganguly, though, picked the former when it came to judging the two on the basis of impact.

Another interesting revelation in the interview was the story behind him becoming a left-handed batsman. It was due to the fact that he used to use the batting kit of his elder brother Snehashish -- a left-handed batsman.

"I picked up a cricket bat left-handed because I used his (Snehashish's) own equipment. I used his bat, I used his gloves -- a left-hander's gloves are different, pads are different. That's probably how I became a left-hander, and he was an inspiration for me," said Ganguly, who went on to amass nearly 18,000 international runs.

As far as getting over the Chappell saga, which left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Indian fans, he went on to say: "It took a bit of time, but ultimately it did (move on). It was a very sad part of Indian cricket, but then that was it, we had to deal with it. It actually made me a tougher person. It made me understand life a lot better, and actually I came out as a tough person after that."

Watch the full video interview above to know what was going on in his mind during the 1991-92 tour of Australia, the 2003 World Cup, the current Indian team led by the dynamic Virat Kohli among other topics.

A Century is Not Enough by Sourav Ganguly (Juggernaut) is available now