Listening to Sourav Ganguly – the ‘Dada’ of cricket

By K.R. Nayar 

Mumbai.  Listening to former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is always motivating. Over the years, starting from the days even before he captained India, to listening to his comments as captain during the World Cup and many international events, one factor that has always stood out is his blunt views. No wonder he has the nickname Dada. Though in his mother tongue, Bengali, Dada means elder brother, it also denotes the leader of a gang or a powerful figure.

Sourav Ganguly speaks about the ongoing India-England series. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

Ganguly has a powerful personality, and that must be the reason he could, as captain, instill the ability to play fearless cricket, challenging the best teams in world cricket. Responding to queries about the Indian team’s ongoing series in England — soon after a press conference for the Indian Racing Festival 2025 at the Bandra Taj Lands End Hotel in Mumbai — he expressed his disappointment over India losing the Lord’s Test match.

It was at Lord’s on July 13, 2002, after beating England in the NatWest Trophy final, that Ganguly removed his shirt and waved it from the iconic balcony. This photo lives in the memory of Indian fans as a representation of India’s ‘go for the kill’ attitude in cricket.

When Ganguly removed his shirt and waved from the Lord's Cricket Ground balcony 

Ganguly owns the Kolkata Royal Tigers team in the race. Despite attempts by the racing organisers to whisk him away, he stopped them to answer queries on cricket. When asked about the defeat at Lord’s, he was blunt and said: “The way India batted in this series, they should have got this 190 runs. It was an opportunity to get 2-1 up in the series against England. I am sure that they will be disappointed not getting to 190, especially with the quality of batsmanship they have in that dressing room. If there was even a little bit of fight from the top, this game would have been India’s match.”

Sourav Ganguly flanked by actors John Abraham and Arjun Kapoor. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

At the press conference, Ganguly sat next to Bollywood’s action hero John Abraham, owner of the Goa Aces JA Racing team, and Arjun Kapoor, actor and son of producer Boney Kapoor. Kapoor is the owner of Speed Demons Delhi, a die-hard cricket fan, and has many photos on Instagram of him playing cricket. 

Arjun Kapoor's  instagram post of him batting at the nets 

Abraham and Mahendra Singh Dhoni share a strong bond given that both are crazy about motorbikes. In fact, Abraham has acted as a cricketer in Hook Ya Crook and even appeared in the Dhoni biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, portraying his friendship with Dhoni.

John Abraham bats during the shooting of Hook Ya Crook 

While Ganguly does not mince words while expressing his views on poor performance, he also does not hesitate to shower praise on good performances. Hence, when asked about Ravindra Jadeja’s fighting knock at Lord’s, he said: “Jadeja was a top-order batsman for Saurashtra in his younger days before becoming a left-arm spinner. He has been exceptional. He is going to continue to play for India as long as he bats and performs like this. He has been around for a long time. He has played some 80 Test matches and more than 200 one-day games. You can see him batting, bowling, and fielding. He is a special player and his batting has really improved over the years with experience. He is a special player and a very important part of this team.”

Sourav Ganguly speaks as Hitesh Patel, former joint secretary of Gujarat Cricket Association, watches. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

To a question from a journalist as to whether Mohammad Siraj’s dismissal was a strange way to get out (playing onto his stumps), Ganguly, in his typical manner, said: “It is not weird. It has happened in cricket before — after hitting the bat, the ball rolled onto the stumps. It is not the first time and it is not going to be the last time. There are so many who have dragged the ball onto the stumps.”

The packed Indian Racing Festival press conference at the Taj Lands End. Photo by K.R. Nayar  

When asked about Shubman Gill as captain, he gave a balanced reply: “He is a young captain. He has led only in three Test matches and has done phenomenally as a batsman. This is the best I have seen him bat away from home — first-time hundred in Headingley and then back-to-back hundreds in Birmingham. As a batsman, he has improved immensely in Test matches. As regards captaincy, he will learn — nobody comes as a complete captain.”

Arjun Kapoor thanks Ganguly on stepping forward to back racing. Photo by K.R. Nayar   

After Arjun Kapoor thanked Ganguly for stepping forward to support a sport other than cricket, Ganguly said: “Motorsport is not like cricket. It's easier selling cricket than any other sport and we must give credit to all — whether it's football, racing, hockey — they have the passion to get every other sport going. We don't know where it will go, where it will finish, but at least there is an effort to make it successful and I think that's what matters. Someone like me is not very conversant with motorsport, but I've just supported Akhil (Akhilesh Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director of Racing Promotions Pvt Limited, the organisation behind the Indian Racing Festival). We are just happy to support you and appreciate all that you do to get this going. This sport is different. Sport should be looked at as a sport — whether it's cricket, football, hockey, racing, or any other sport."