Sourav Ganguly

Nagpur: Monday will be Sourav Ganguly’s last day as an India cricketer. In the lead-up to the ongoing Test, against Australia, he spoke to The Telegraph largely on captaincy and coaches.

The following are excerpts

What makes a good captain

A good team... That’s what I’ve always maintained... A captain actually is as good as his team... This has been true for years and I don’t think it’s going to change... Besides, for a captain to be good, he’s got to have the ability to spot talent... Get the right guy for the right position.

His style of captaincy

I set out to create the right atmosphere in the dressing room... The kind which would allow the boys to perform freely... I never believed somebody should be picked or dropped at the drop of a hat... Had I encouraged that, then the boys wouldn’t have been able to perform freely... I backed match-winners and persisted with those who, suddenly, either stopped getting many runs or wickets... Match-winners are special and need to be handled properly... I backed Harbhajan (Singh), (Virender) Sehwag, Zaheer (Khan) in all forms... Yuvraj (Singh) and (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni in ODIs... They either made their debut under me or made a comeback when I was the captain...

On Dhoni, who too is aggressive, but in a much different manner

Captains don’t win matches on their own, their batters have to get runs and their bowlers must take wickets... Momentum is important... I hope Dhoni will take Indian cricket forward and, if he does, will be remembered as very successful... Dhoni has what it takes to be a good captain... I’d like the focus to be on Test cricket, for that’s the real stuff.

Captains he admired

Steve Waugh, a very good captain with a very good team... Nasser Hussain, who injected steel into the England team. I have a lot of regard for him.

The importance of a rapport with the coach

Yes, good lines of communication are needed...

Partnership with John Wright

(A trifle emotionally) Both of us wanted India to do well, that was our only agenda... At the end of the day, it’s the captain who is most important and John didn’t seek to be in the limelight... Didn’t try to upstage the players... Having himself been a captain, John realised who had to be the most important person in the team. I had much respect for him.

Whether Greg Chappell’s strong personality led to his differences with him

Don’t know... It’s unfortunate... As I’ve told you, Greg was misled by some people

Gary Kirsten as coach

I have a lot of hope in him... He’s fantastic in the dressing room... The way he relates to players and handles them is superb...

Coaches at other levels

Debu Mitra helped me a lot and I’m grateful.

On handling success

At the end of a good day, when you’re back at the hotel, savour the hours that have passed... At the same time, run a reality check... Never get your feet off the ground.

Handling failure

Every failure should make you more determined... Failures will be there, but you should strive to be remembered for your successes and not the failures.

The grind of international cricket

Takes a lot out of you, more so if you aren’t doing well.

Favourite sportsmen outside cricket

Diego Maradona, Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong.

Finally, what mattered the most during his years as an India cricketer

(After a pause) Respect in the dressing room.