Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has revealed that he once viewed Sourav Ganguly as rude and arrogant, but a simple act of kindness from the former India captain during a practice match in England made him rethink everything.
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Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq shared a heartwarming anecdote about Sourav Ganguly, revealing how an encounter with the former India captain in the early 2000s completely changed his perception of him. During their playing days, Saqlain initially had a certain image of Ganguly, believing him to be somewhat arrogant. However, a thoughtful act from Ganguly changed that impression.
Saqlain revealed that he never had a deep conversation with Ganguly and only exchanged brief pleasantries during their meetings in India-Pakistan matches. Both these players were an important part of their respective teams during their playing careers and hence were regular features in those high-profile India vs Pakistan games.
“There are some people with whom you don’t feel like talking or interacting. During our playing days, initially, I had that feeling for Sourav Ganguly. He was India’s captain and a legend without doubt. However, whenever we met, it was always ‘hello’, ‘hi’ and nothing more. I had a feeling that he thinks very highly of himself,” Saqlain admitted.
A conversation that changed everything
However, Saqlain underwent knee surgery in 2004 and everything changed between him and Ganguly after that. After staying away from the game for months, he was making a comeback, playing a practice match against India with the Sussex county cricket side in 2007. It was then that Ganguly’s unexpected gesture left a lasting impact on Saqlain.
Ganguly was not playing the practice match against Sussex but was part of the Indian Test XI that locked horns against England a few days later.
“Believe me, Ganguly brought two cups of coffee. The roofs of the two dressing rooms were together. There was just a small wall in between. You could either jump or come from behind. He jumped with two coffee cups in his hands and came to meet me. I was shocked and was wondering what he was doing here.”
“That changed my perception of Ganguly. I felt ashamed regarding my misconception of such a nice human. I never had a conversation with him before and assumed that he was a strange person and had an ego.”
“While Ganguly was going back, I said ‘Sorry, Sourav bhai, I had the wrong perception about you, but this meeting has completely changed that.’ I told him, ‘I have become your fan as a human.’ Of course, what he has done as a player, enough cannot be said about it. But after that chat, he had won my heart as a human too.”
Although Saqlain never managed to make a comeback to the Pakistan national team, he enjoyed some of the best cricket of his career with Surrey and Sussex after recovering from his injury. However, his final appearance for Pakistan was a disappointing one, as he struggled against India in Multan, finishing with figures of 1 wicket for 204 runs.
Ganguly went on to play for India till 2008 and played his final Test against Australia. Ganguly’s last ODI was against Pakistan in 2007.