'Overwhelming' - Amitabh Bachchan tells Sourav Ganguly what he felt singing national anthem before India-Pakistan World Cup fixture

Former Indian cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag are set to feature on Sony Television’s popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati. During the show, the former requested the show host Amitabh Bachchan to switch roles, as Ganguly assumed the role of the host, putting Bachchan on the much-famed KBC hot seat.

The trio also revisited some old instances related to cricket and Bachchan’s association with it, as one of the pictures showcased him wearing a cricket outfit and gear. The 78-year-old stated the image to be one from many moons back when the Bombay and Bengal Film Industry played a friendly match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Ganguly, who hails from Kolkata incidentally, then asked Bachchan about the moment when he sang the national anthem before the World Cup fixture between India and Pakistan in 2016. Revealing his experience, Bachchan said that it was one of the most enthralling moments of his entire life and he was overwhelmed when the entire crowd sang the anthem along with him in one voice.

Notably, Bachchan also asked Sehwag what does India feel like when they defeat Pakistan in such high-profile encounters. In his own style, Sehwag responded: “Shahenshah movie ka ek bada famous dialogue hai (There is a famous line from Shahenshah),” Sehwag replied, as Bachchan recited it: “Rishte mein toh hum tumhare baap lagte hai (I am your father)…” The cricketer laughed, “Hum toh baap hai hi unke (We really are their fathers).”

Sehwag pulls Ganguly’s leg over Chappell saga

Known for his carefreely funny style, Sehwag pulled his former teammate and captain Sourav Ganguly’s leg over his infamous rift with coach Greg Chappell. On the show, Bachchan asked Sehwag about a situation when a fielder drops a catch, to which Sehwag responds with a song while poking fun at Ganguly.

“Apni toh jaise taise kat jayegi (We will manage somehow),” sang Sehwag, before pointing at Sourav and continuing, “Aapka kya hoga janaab-e-ali” (But what will you do, sir)?”, leaving both Ganguly and Bachchan in splits. Notably, the duo did not have the most cordial relationship, with multiple rifts surfacing between them during captaincy tenure. Eventually, it was the dispute that led to Ganguly’s removal as the team’s captain.

Ganguly and Sehwag are the first celebrity appearance on the 13th season of the game show, which premiered on 23rd August.