John Buchanan

Calcutta: John Buchanan, who has been working with Sourav Ganguly as part of his Kolkata Knight Riders’ assignment, has saluted the former India captain. He did so when The Telegraph contacted him in Brisbane on Wednesday morning.

At the same time, given what was experienced during Steve Waugh’s farewell series (2003-04, against India), Buchanan has cautioned the Indians against getting distracted in the latest face-off, which begins in Bangalore on Thursday.

Buchanan said: “Each person knows when the time comes to retire... Sourav believes the time is now... Not many players get the great fortune to call their own ending and coincide it with a major series at home.

“Sourav has been an incredible performer and servant to Indian cricket... I’m pleased that he has got this opportunity to script and perform his last chapter...

“One word of caution: The celebration of one player’s career during a tough series can become a major distraction to the team’s overall performance...”

That, of course, time will tell.