Ravi Shastri

Nagpur: Former India captain and cricket manager Ravi Shastri spoke to The Telegraph on Sourav Ganguly and the other three who complete the Fab Four. The interview was done during breaks in Shastri’s TV commitments on Friday.

The following are excerpts

Q Had you been in the position Sourav is in today, would you have been tempted to take back your retirement?

A Look, announcements on retirements are made after much thought... Sourav had decided this would be his last series and gave himself the chance to go out on a high... The temptation could be there, more so after scoring so many runs (324 in seven innings at an average of 64.80), but the decision would’ve been made after much thought... Unless circumstances were such that there’s a void in the India line-up, I wouldn’t have reviewed my decision and my advice to Sourav is that he shouldn’t.

Could there be a temptation on the part of the Board to get Sourav to take back his retirement?

Don’t think so... The Board has already given Sourav a send-off and if something was on the minds of the officials, they would’ve told him yesterday (before the Big Four’s felicitation)... Sourav is going out on a high... He has got big runs and India should win the series... Having announced retirement, he should leave... Anil Kumble made the right decision, Sourav made the super right decision...

Were you tempted to take back your retirement?

Never... I couldn’t, because of my knee problem... It could’ve been different had I been fit and doing well... (Adds laughing) But, then, I wouldn’t have retired in the first place.

Calling it a day isn’t easy, is it?

It’s the toughest decision because the sport has been your life... For somebody who has played for 12-13 years, the sport could’ve been his life for around 20 years if you include the years spent in trying to get a break... There’s bound to be some sadness, but one has to move on.

Sourav’s first India captain, Mohammed Azharuddin, feels that he still has something to offer...

Anybody would say that after seeing him bat in this series, but Sourav’s made his decision.

How do you look back on Sourav’s career?

He’s been our finest left-hander… Sourav’s timing on the off has been special and there was a five-year period, from around 1997, that he matched Sachin shot for shot in limited overs cricket... As captain, I’d say he’s been our finest in the last couple of decades and one of the finest of all time.

Did Sourav under-achieve in Tests?

Possibly, but he’d been captain for a number of years and there were responsibilities... There had been some issues too... Overall, in my view, Sourav should be very satisfied and have no regrets. Of course, there’s disappointment that he couldn’t get a hundred today... Having batted so beautifully, he’d been set for one... I was at Lord’s in 1996 when Sourav got a hundred, the finest I’ve seen on somebody’s debut, and had been looking forward to one in his last Test too.

The latter part of 2005 was very tough on Sourav. But did he himself, perhaps, lose a bit of focus?

Sourav too is human... Somebody making tall statements won’t be remembered, somebody having the determination to make a comeback will be... Sourav proved he’s a fighter... There could be oppositions who hate his guts, there could be bowlers who get frustrated and there could be officials who get upset with him... At the end of the day, though, you’ve got to hand it to Sourav... Actually, he hasn’t just been a fighter, but a survivor.

What were your emotions on Thursday morning, when the Fab Four’s final Test got under way?

It was a special day... Individuals will come and go, but the game will remain... One has felt nostalgic, yes, but the next match will be a fresh one and, who knows, there could be a new hero.

Is age in sport too much of an issue in India?

It shouldn’t be... Performance should count... Till recently, did anybody talk about Kumble being in his 38th year or that he would turn 38 midway during this series? No, because he’d been among the wickets.

When did Sourav first make an impression on you?

When he scripted an excellent innings in a limited overs match against the Tatas, the team I’d been leading, at the CCI... That was in the late 1980s... I can’t remember the team he’d turned out for... I also recall a very good hundred from him for East in the Duleep Trophy... That’s when I recommended (to Milind Rege) that he be employed by the Tatas so that he could play for us.

Finally, your message to Sourav...

Enjoy the retirement... Sourav should be happy that he’s leaving on such a high and that he’s leaving a proud man. There are areas where he could contribute and remain involved with the game.