Ganguly retired from cricket

India’s most successful captain — the man who
single-handedly galvanised a bunch of talented
players into a winning side — won’t play again. The
God on the off-side has announced his retirement
from competitive cricket. Sourav Ganguly made this
announcement during an exclusive interview with
Headlines Today.
Breaking his silence on the IPL controversy, he said,
he was playing Ranji only to stay fit for the league.
And he doesn’t see any possibility of playing IPL
again. So he’s hanging up his boots.
Speaking to Headlines Today, he said: “I have already
retired from international cricket. I was playing Ranji
cricket only to stay fit for IPL. I see no possibility of
playing IPL any more. And now I don’t see any point
in playing competitive cricket again.”
But he expressed disappointment at not finding a
place in 10 IPL teams in which 70 Indians were
selected. “I had the runs. Players of my age, Gilchrist,
Dravid and Laxman are still actively involved. I
haven’t been able to put the finger on why I was left
out.
Cricketing logic and past form suggests I should have
been picked. There are several reasons I could have
been dropped, but not for cricket.”
So there will be no resurrection for the man, who
like a phoenix has sprung surprises every time people
thought his innings was over.
But Ganguly doesn’t feel betrayed by Shah Rukh
Khan.
“SRK spoke to me about a possible role as KKR
mentor. I don’t think KKR needs a mentor. I see no
role there. The team already has enough expertise in
Whatmore and Akram. I wanted to play and not
mentor the team. I didn’t see myself in the sort of a
role Kumble has chosen.”
To put it more succinctly, he said: “We are in a
profession, where we get selected. Opinions differ.
But I thought I deserved a place.”
But such is his love for the Kolkata outfit that he was
disappointed over how the team has been handled,
especially over the past two seasons. “I agree KKR
didn’t do well. We had the acumen to deliver, but
suffered a confidence problem. I felt there was panic
every time we lost. There was panic among the
owners, panic among the players.