Sourav Ganguly has been an inspiration to me. If you are a cricket fan or a learner looking to pick up new skills, then this blog is for you.

As a media professional, I am not supposed to fanboy a lot, but if you have been following me, you guys know that this one means a lot to me. Sourav Ganguly is an inspiration for me, and I have learned a lot from him about leadership. His autobiography has had a great impact on my life. 

I hope you enjoy this conversation with my inspiration.

 

Happy Reading!

Following Your Passion 

“Life is busy, and I think it is better to be busy than not to be. I get to do things that I want to do. I got to play cricket all my life. Sports are the most important thing in my life. We are fortunate that we get an opportunity to be a part of this sport by making it a career in India.”

 

Becoming The Part Of BCCI

“I have been a player, captain, and now I look into the administration side. So I have seen the complete circle. Playing was fun and challenging. It was skillful and satisfying. But even administration is a way of giving back to this sport. India is ahead of other countries as we are also good at the administration side.” 

 

Rage While Playing 

“I am a very laid back person in life, but when I was on the ground maybe pressure, expectation or they wanted to succeed, and that brought out that side of me. In real life, I don’t get angry or anything as such. It was a great opportunity to be the captain. At the age of fourteen, if someone said I would be the captain, I wouldn’t have believed it. “

Playing For Team India

“It is a lot of pressure as everyone is evaluating you, from the cook in a kitchen to the chairperson of BCCI. You have to be focused on your game. You need to put the outside world away from you. If not, you need the heart to walk away from it.”

 

Having Faith

“I had too much faith in myself. The best thing that the game gave me is it gave me faith in my abilities. I will find my way into difficult situations as well. You will face failure, but you need to fight.”

 

Love For Football 

“I love football. I was in Kolkata growing up. It was a city of football till cricket took over. I started as a striker. I have gone to Manchester matches. In 2018, at Old Trafford stadium, I went to a match. You can see a running commentary going on from kids to older people. Everyone is so knowledgeable.” 

 

Dealing With Stressful Situations 

“You get used to the pressure. You have an opportunity to bounce back. You can lose on Monday and win again on Friday. It is a cycle of falling, losing, and winning.”

Dealing With Negative Thoughts

“We had a match with Pakistan in 2004. We didn’t know how to get runs from. I was too nervous. My coach called me and said we will go for dinner at 8. I called him at 7 and canceled as I went for a run. If you play well your confidence will take care of it, and if you fail, the negative thoughts keep coming, and you have to deal with them. You need to go back to the wonderful memories and your successes for motivation.”

 

Bring Fan Experience To India 

“I have seen football and cricket very closely. I have been to Manchester and Chelse. Even my daughter is a huge fan of football. I have seen how fans look up to the matches. Through IPL, we have brought the fan experience to India. In 2000, I was in Manchester. Every Saturday, three players were assigned to get to the ground early and meet the fans. England has the culture of having hospitality boxes. The fans actually make the game and giving them the best experience is important. In foreign it is like a day out. It is a way to treat fans.”

 

Winning World Cup in 1983

“Cricket in India boomed after the 1983 win. I was ten years old, and no one believed India would ever win. That is what got people hooked.”

IPL

“We have increased two more teams but can’t increase because the window between the international matches is less. I think it is an outstanding balance. We are in the process of making the IPL for women.”

 

Winning World Cup 

“We played all the finals in the year 2001,2002,2003, and we kept losing. The only difference between 2001, 2002, and 2007, or 2011 was we didn’t win those games. We won it in 2011. When you keep going someday, you will get past it. I believed in a certain way of playing the one who plays will win. Everybody loses, but we need players who need to play to win. So that is how I picked the players. I am a believer that talent is good with opportunity. Eleven players will help to win, so we created eleven leaders.”

Dressing Room

“I learned a lot about cricket from teams of different countries. My learning even comes a lot from the dressing rooms. The dressing room has a different vibe. It is never my way or the highway. The biggest characteristic of a leader is to work with everyone on their way.”

 

Life Lesson

“I just had good days and bad days. I never had traumas. Look at it as an opportunity and move on.” 

 

Life Experience 

“I am very grateful for this opportunity. With experience, I do handle things better. It just comes its experience. So don’t expect 20 years old to take discussion as a 50-year-old.”

 

I can\’t express how grateful I feel. But this was truly a dream come true. I just hope you guys enjoyed this blog.

Thank you.

 

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