India's most successful captain Sourav Ganguly says he is not unduly bothered by the lean patches in his career as these have only made him "tougher" over the years.
Ganguly said he always relies on his family to back him in his hour of crisis and also believes he has matured as a captain over the years.
"You learn (how to handle criticism) as you keep on playing. You go through ups and downs which automatically make you tougher," Ganguly said.
"Your family plays an important role. Matters like how they back you when you are not doing well and how they react when you or the team does well -- these aspects in one's life make a huge impact on you. It is also the experience that you gain over the years," the 32-year-old batsman said.
| |||||||||||
And it is no surprise that he rates India among the top teams along with world champions Australia.
Asked to pick the best three teams in the world, Ganguly named India and Australia without hesitation but took his time to think over his selection of the third team before saying "South Africa and England probably would be joint third."
Ganguly rated teammates Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid among the top five batsmen in the world while veteran leg spinner Anil Kumble found a mention in his pick of five best bowlers.
"The top five batsmen in world cricket today are Sachin, (Brian)Lara, (Matthew) Hayden, (Ricky) Ponting and Dravid. The top five bowlers for me in both versions of the game are (Jason) Gillespie, Kumble, (Steve) Harmison, (Muttiah) Muralitharan and (Shane) Warne."
Ganguly also believed Test cricket is the "real cricket" although the one-day internationals generate a lot of interest and have a charm of their own.
"I am sure Test matches are real cricket. Obviously one-day games are as important these days since they generate interest in people. But still real cricket is Test cricket."
The Indian captain is not in favour of having separate teams for one-dayers and Tests as he said good Test players were more often good one-day performers as well.
"All good players are good enough for both versions of the game. All good Test players are solid one-day players. There might be a few exceptions but on the whole Test players are good one-day performers. That is what makes a good cricketer.
"In the shorter version of the game, we all have to take risks. It is understood that in a 50-over game it is a question of putting runs on the board. Taking risks depends on individual players according to his strength. Some may be good on the on side or the off or some may be good on either sides, it is a question of how you back yourself whenever you take risks to score runs quickly."
Ganguly conceded that one-day cricket was a bit harsh on the bowlers with batsmen scoring at will these days on friendly pitches.
"I am sure one-day cricket has affected the bowlers. But it has also taken cricket to different levels because there have been more results in Tests and more than 350 to 400 have been scored in a day. It never used to happen in the past. So it has added more dimension to the longer version of the game. People come to watch Test matches because there are more decisions now."
The Indian captain also attributed the run feast to the adaptation of the batsmen.
"Batsmen these days play more shots and score runs more quickly in one-day games. The first 15-over rule has brought in advancement to the one-day version of the game."
Having excelled as a team-man, Ganguly now hopes to give his best as a father.
"I wish my daughter grows up in a right manner just like a normal child. As parents, we will try and provide her whatever we can to ensure she grows up as a good person. If she is good in studies, I would want her to become a doctor and her mother wants her to pursue either dance or singing whichever she wants to take up."
© 2024 Rediff.com -