'I would have enjoyed it' - Sourav Ganguly believes he would've changed his game to play T20 format

Sourav Ganguly is one of the best captains to ever have captained the Indian cricket team. The Indian team had achieved unprecedented success under his leadership in both Tests and One-day Internationals. However, Ganguly couldn’t play the shortest format of the game much as he was at the fag end of his career when the T20 format was introduced in the country.

The former captain got the opportunity to play T20 during the Indian Premier League. Sourav Ganguly participated in IPL for five years from 2008 to 2012. He captained the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the inaugural edition of the cash-rich league.

However, his stint with KKR ended in 2010 after which he embraced the now-defunct franchise Pune Warriors for 2011 and 2012 seasons. In his short career, Ganguly played 59 IPL matches scoring 1,349 runs at an average of 25.4.

In a candid conversation with India’s current Test opener Mayank Agrawal, the former captain extended his support to the shortest format of the game saying that he would have loved playing the format in this era.

Replying to a question on BCCI’s twitter handle, Dada revealed, “T20 is very important. I would have changed my game. It’s the licence to keep swinging and keep hitting. I would have loved to play T20, although I did play for the first five years of the IPL. I think I would have enjoyed the T20,”

Sourav Ganguly discusses World Cup 2003 and NatWest Trophy 2002

During the course of interaction, the BCCI president also talked about some historic moments of Indian cricket under his leadership. The jersey-waving incident carried out by Ganguly from the Lord’s balcony after his team chased down 326 to win the NatWest Trophy Final in 2002 is still etched in the memory of all the cricket fans.

Talking about the same, Ganguly said, “It was a great moment. We all got carried away, but that’s what sport is, when you win a game like that, you celebrate even more. That was one of the great cricket matches I have been part of.”

On being asked to choose between World Cup 2003 and NatWest Trophy 2002, dada answered, “Both have their own place. The World Cup final has a special place; we got smashed by Australia. They were the best team in that generation. Getting to the World Cup, winning every game hands down except Australia, I thought, was a great achievement.”

“The NatWest had its own charm. When you win in England, on a Saturday at the Lord’s, it’s a remarkable feeling. It’s a packed house. I am sure you will get to play Test cricket in England when we travel to play five Tests…and it’s a remarkable experience,” he concluded.