Sourav Ganguly finally reveals his thoughts after MS Dhoni's 'Secret Gesture' in last Test

Sourav Ganguly holds a special place in Indian Cricket. His sixteen-year long journey helped populous witness India’s rise in limited overs cricket as well as in the longest format. Ganguly’s career came to a dramatic end after the faith of selection panel had gone down drastically. However, even after ten years of retirement, the former Indian skipper still cherishes the ‘surprise gesture’ by Dhoni in his last Test.

Speaking to International Business Times, Ganguly went on saying that he initially rejected then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s offer to lead the side on the final day of the Test match against Australia. However, when Dhoni initiated Ganguly for the second time, he couldn’t resist himself and eventually accepted his offer. Notably, India picked up 10 wickets on the final day at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium to bowl out Australia for 209 and thereby clinch the series 2-0.

‘Secret Gesture by MS Dhoni’

Ganguly led the side after the fall of Australia’s penultimate wicket. This was a chance when Ganguly once again had to rewind his captaincy skills and set the field accordingly. However, after leading the side of three overs, Ganguly handed the baton again to MS Dhoni’s shoulders.

He said, “As the match came to a close, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a surprise gesture asked me to lead. I had rejected his offer earlier in the day, but could not refuse a second time.

“Ironically, my captaincy career had begun exactly eight years ago on this very day. I handled the bowling changes and field placements while the last Australian wicket batted. But I must admit, at that stage, I found it difficult to focus. So after three overs I handed it back to Dhoni saying, it is your job, MS. We both smiled,” he added.

He further expressed that he still regrets missing a superlative century in his last Test by 15 runs. He believes that the same could have been a memorable moment. He said, “The man the Indian selectors had kept on an indefinite trial did stand up to the Australian attack and walked away with a solid 85. I missed the coveted three-figure mark only by 15 runs but my friend Sach [Tendulkar] lent an additional flavor to the party by getting a rock-solid hundred.”

“I ended my final innings in Test cricket in a first-ball duck. Looking back I still feel it was a loose shot as I tried to play Jason Krejza against the turn. The bat had closed early and Krejza easily accepted a low return catch. I have no regrets. It was a bad shot and I paid the price. But I still regret missing the hundred. It was mine for the taking,” he concluded.