Saqlain Mushtaq, arguably the best off-spinner of all time, has admitted to having a misunderstanding of Sourav Ganguly. At first, he thought the former India captain exuded a certain negative aura. But, after they spoke over a cup of coffee during India's 2003–2004 tour to Pakistan, he had a different perspective.
Saqlain believed Ganguly to be similar to those you don't feel like interacting with much. Every time they ran into each other, they exchanged only the customary hellos. The former Pakistani cricketer, therefore, had the impression that Ganguly held a very high opinion of himself.
Saqlain further revealed how Ganguly's priceless gesture after the former spinner had undergone a surgery was what changed his opinion of the then-India captain. After his knee operation in 2003-04, Ganguly was there on that tour. It was his first match after rehab and I had to play county for Sussex.
The two changing rooms' roofs were connected. There was only a tiny wall there. Ganguly came to meet him and brought two cups of coffee. The Pakistani legend was startled and wondered why Ganguly was in that place, he told SportsKeeda.
That altered how he felt about Ganguly. Regarding his misunderstanding of such a “nice human”, he "felt ashamed". He had never spoken to Ganguly before and believed him to be someone with an ego, Saqlain revealed.
Ganguly questioned Saqlain about his knee throughout their conversation and even inspired him. They had some enjoyable conversation while talking about life and cricket. Saqlain apologised to Ganguly for having the false impression of him. But, after that meeting, everything was different. Saqlain admitted to Ganguly that, as a person, he had grown to be Dada’s fan. “He had won my heart as a human," he added.
In addition to being one of the most successful Indian skippers of all time, Sourav Ganguly is considered one of the legends of the game. He is presently helming the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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