Sourav Ganguly regrets taking his shirt off in the iconic NatWest Series finals

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly is renowned for shaping the form of the Indian cricket team. During his playing days, Ganguly was one of the better known captains of the world cricket. Also, he stands among the top crop of Indian captains when it comes to the success rate and the overseas performance.

While most of his achievements are worth keeping in the shelf, there is one particular incidence that still keeps Sourav Ganguly at the bay. In the NatWest Series finals of 2002 at the Lords, Ganguly was seen taking his shirt off in the balcony after team India beat England by 2 wickets. The moment is fresh in the minds of every cricket fan.

Recently, Ganguly admitted that he still regrets the decision of taking his shirt off. He remarked that his actions were the result of the heat of the moment and the adrenaline rush. He also cited that the incidence created a very negative image of himself in the public domain.

“Everybody says that its the most iconic moment. But I wouldn’t do it again. I came from a very conservative and shy Bengali family. It just happened in the heat of the moment. I think the perception people had when I played the sport was different,” Sourav Ganguly said to Barkha Dutt, in a preview of her interview with him for the Week Live.

“They took the perception on the field on the field as it was, but, off the field I was a completely different person. I had to put on this attitude of mine because I wanted everyone winning cricket matches,” he added further.

Why he regrets the act?

Revealing the reason why he still regrets the shirt removing incident, Sourav Ganguly remarked that there were better ways to celebrate than removing the jersey. He reiterated that he is a very docile person off the field.

“I regret it because there are better ways of showing your happiness of beating England at Lords. I’m not that type of person who would take their shirt off and get agitated. I’m normally very docile, but that cricket field turned me differently,” mentioned Ganguly.

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