New Delhi. Former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly has expressed deep concern and surprise over the recent poor performance of the Indian team in limited overs cricket. However, despite this difficult period, he has expressed confidence that the current T20 World Champion team will soon make a strong comeback. Apart from this, Ganguly also expressed his opinion on the controversial decision of excluding wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson from the playing eleven and Argentina’s victory in the FIFA World Cup. The occasion was Sourav Ganguly’s 54th birthday, where the official poster of the much-awaited biopic ‘Dada’ on his life was also launched.
In the cricket world, Team India is counted among the strongest teams in the limited overs format, but the recent Britain tour has been like a nightmare for the Indian fans. India had to face a crushing defeat of 125 runs against England in the match played at Trent Bridge. Chasing the target of 202 runs, the Indian team collapsed for just 76 runs, which is India’s biggest and most embarrassing defeat in the history of T20 international cricket in terms of runs. With this defeat, India has lagged 0-2 in the five-match T20 series.
Just before this tour, Shreyas Iyer was given the command of the team in place of T20 World Cup winning captain Suryakumar Yadav. Iyer’s journey as captain has been very disappointing and he is still waiting for his first win in T20 International. Earlier, India had to face a crushing defeat of 0-2 against a weak team like Ireland, which laid the foundation for a bad start to this entire tour.
While talking to journalists during the celebration of his 54th birthday, Sourav Ganguly said, ‘I am definitely a little surprised by the performance of the Indian team. India has always been a very strong and dominant team in limited overs cricket. Whatever is visible on the field is a temporary decline in his form. However, he defended the team and expressed hope that the Indian players would find a way to make a comeback. He further said, ‘It is true that they are not looking in their best form, but India has many excellent and world class players. I am confident that they will make a strong comeback. Now the only option left for them is to level it to stay in the series. Every good team in the world sometimes goes through such difficult times and finds a way to bounce back.
Ganguly maintains silence on Sanju Samson’s controversial drop
The biggest controversy on this tour arose when the Indian team management led by head coach Gautam Gambhir showed star batsman Sanju Samson out of the playing eleven of the second T20 International. The purpose of dropping Samson was to give a chance to young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the top of the order. This decision is being strongly criticized on social media and among sports experts.
When Ganguly was asked about this controversial decision, the experienced former captain clearly refused to make any sharp comment on it. He said in a very measured manner, ‘This is completely the decision of the team management. They make strategies according to the circumstances. It would not be appropriate for me to comment or make any comment from outside on this subject.
FIFA World Cup: Ganguly admires Messi and Argentina’s victory
Sourav Ganguly’s passion for football is not hidden from anyone. He told that he is constantly keeping his eyes on the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Ganguly looked extremely impressed with Argentina’s thrilling 3-2 win against Egypt in the pre-quarterfinal match last night. Current champion Argentina was trailing 0-2 in this match at one time, but the team played like champions and won the match by scoring three back-to-back goals in just 13 minutes.
Recalling the thrill of the match, Ganguly said, “I watched Argentina’s football match and India’s cricket match simultaneously. Whenever the ball went to Lionel Messi on the field, I had the full feeling that a goal was going to be scored… and finally it happened. Whenever the team needs it, great players perform like this. In big tournaments, strong teams overcome pressure like this and move ahead. Every match cannot be one-sided.”
First look out of ‘Dada’ biopic: Historic moment from Lord’s balcony
Sourav Ganguly’s birthday celebrations doubled when the official poster of the much-awaited film ‘Dada’ based on his life was unveiled. This film is all set to release in theaters next year on 14 May 2027. Bollywood’s versatile actor Rajkumar Rao is playing the role of Sourav Ganguly in the film.
The first poster of the film depicts one of the most iconic moments in cricket history. In this, Rajkumar Rao is seen celebrating without shirt in the historic balcony of Lord’s in the same famous manner as Ganguly, which he did after India defeated England in the final of the historic NatWest Series in 2002. Expressing happiness over this poster, Ganguly said, “The poster of the biopic has just been launched and it is getting an excellent response. I hope that when this film will be released on the big screen next year, all the cricket and cinema lovers will definitely go to watch it.”
Celebrated birthday simply, talked to daughter Sana on video call
Earlier, Sourav Ganguly celebrated his 54th birthday by cutting the cake with his family at exactly 12 o’clock in the night. Although the celebration was kept very simple due to the poor performance of Team India, but the family moments were very special for Ganguly. He spoke to his daughter Sana living in Barcelona, Spain through video call and took her blessings and good wishes. The fans of this great captain, who taught Indian cricket to win abroad, are also congratulating him on social media since morning.
