Who knows better than Sourav Ganguly that the story of life and the way to live it are not just about the ups and downs at different points in time. It’s really about meeting the challenges that keep coming at every step of your way. It is, hence, no accident perhaps that exactly 20 years after his 1996 dream debut at the Lords with the cricket bat the “Prince of Calcutta" announced the commencement of yet another innings, this time with the pen.
A Century is Not Enough is what Ganguly’s first book is titled and he insists that it is neither an autobiography nor a memoir. “There’s much more to come in my life and there is time left to write an autobiography," he clarifies.
“I was never as talented as Sachin Tendulkar. I never had his advantage of being different from the rest," Ganguly said, indicating at the hurdles he has had to overcome with his never-say-die spirit.
The roughly 30,000-word book, which promises to be “an inspiration to young cricketers of this country" since it is never easy to stay in the game for a stretch of a decade and a half, is likely to be published next year.
It, however, seemed to be a mere coincidence that the announcement of the book came on the same day as when he sat, along with Sachin and VVS Laxman, to pick India’s next coach. But it was only fair that this happened exactly two decades after the left-hander’s sensational debut century knock with the willow at Lord’s, a feat that many believe changed the face of Indian cricket once and for all.
But this isn’t the first time the former Indian skipper is choosing the coach for the team.
“I once had an opportunity to select the coach. I thought I messed it up in 2005," he regretted, referring to the selection of Greg Chappell back then but without naming him. And as they say, the rest is history!
“Hopefully, we will do a better job this time, whoever it is. Luckily, I have the support of Sachin, VVS, the board secretary and president, and together we will pick the right person," a smiling Ganguly said obviously pleased at having shouldered the responsibility of playing a pivotal role in steering the team in the days ahead, but this time without the willow in hand.
But there is more in Ganguly’s mind than just this. “Only a couple of years ago I was thinking whether I want this job for myself. But today I am selecting one. That’s how life is. Hopefully, I will sit for this interview someday," he summed up.
The skipper has donned multiple hats ever since he hung up his cricketing boots and has tasted success in each one of them – from cricket commentary to hosting TV shows and now heading the cricket administration in Bengal. Yet Ganguly says he loses sleep on the eve of the coach selection meeting day.
“Last night I was wide awake when my wife and daughter were fast asleep and kept staring at the ceiling. Then I watched the video of my debut hundred on YouTube, an edited 12-minute piece, and slept after that," he confessed, stating that he is a human being like anyone else who wants to do his job well.
The results of the latest job at hand would certainly do the rest of the talking for Dada.