Ganguly inspired Bengal Ranji team by recalling India’s historic Kolkata Test win against Australia

Kolkata, Dec 19: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly gave a pep-talk to Bengal cricketers during their Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Delhi. And the topic was one of the fairy tales wins in Indian cricket at the iconic Eden Gardens in 2001.

In the Test match against Australia at the Eden Gardens, India had to follow-on. But India still made a brilliant come back and won that Test courtesy VVS Laxman 281, Rahul Dravid’s 180 and Harbhajan Singh's 13-wickets in the match.

Ganguly, who was the captain of Indian side in that historic Test, is presently in Jaipur to witness Bengal-Delhi Ranji Trophy match.

On Sunday Bengal bowlers were struggling to penetrate Delhi innings and were being brought down to club level by the devastation created by Gautam Gambhir, Ganguly stepped into Bengal’s dressing room.

At the Tea session, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) was waiting for the team to return to the dressing room.

Ganguly pumped up the spirit of all the cricketers by narrating them the magnificent come back by Team India in that match.

Sourav was in the dressing room for around 10 minutes and after the important pep talk to his cricketers, he came out.

With the bengal ranji team at Jaipur for quarter final game pic.twitter.com/XvT7NyMxU7

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) December 7, 2017

He then revealed, “I was reminding them that we also had to face a follow-on in that game. Australia was the most powerful team that time under the leadership of Steve Waugh. There was Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath. All of them were great players that time.

"Still, before going to bat in the second innings, we motivated ourselves and came back in a manner which secured us a place in the history. So, if on that day India had been able to change the scenario then why not Bengal today?”

Ganguly also asked Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary and other players to stress on the fielding so that Delhi cannot capitalise upon poor fielding and score runs.