‘I’m not trying to make any statement, I just want to play’

Spending the afternoon at the five-star hotel wasn’t what Ganguly had in mind when he surprised every one, including the local organisers, by asking for a slot in the annual JP Attray one-day tournament in Chandigarh this week.

Ganguly and Punjab have developed a strange relationship of late. On a cold, misty day almost two years ago, he had inspired Bengal to victory in a Ranji Trophy match at Mohali in front of a few thousand fans who were strangely cheering for the former India captain rather than their home state.

As chants of “Dada, Dada” cut through the icy wind that morning, Ganguly — fighting to make a comeback into the Indian team after being ignored for almost a year — occasionally waved to the stands to send them into raptures. Within a week, he stormed back into the Test team for South Africa.

It was surreal watching him sweat through his Team India practice gear days after he was left out of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup — a decision that was seen as a sign that there would be no place for him in the Test team against Australia as well.

What was he trying to prove?

“Nothing,” he said in his first interview since the Irani decision, “I’m here to just play cricket. I’ve been knocking in Kolkata but the rains have been unrelenting. How much can you bat in the nets, that too indoors? I needed to get some action.”

But why this tournament, where he sticks out like a motorbike (“rickety,” he adds the adjective with a wink) in a cycle race?

“I know I’m not going to get picked or dropped because of how many runs I score or don’t score in this tournament. I’m not trying to make any statements, I just want to play. I tried to get into Buchi Babu and the Tamil Nadu league but there were no invitational teams allowed for those tournaments. You had to be a registered...