But, listening to Nandi for some more time, one gets an idea what was going on in the mind of the just-sacked star. “Very early, he told me that he was sure to be back in the Indian team since he wanted to make a point. He said that this wasn’t about the World Cup, but he wanted to be fit to play international cricket for two to three more years,” he says.

This resolve meant Ganguly losing 7 kg in 6 months and reaching body-fat measurements the lowest in his entire career. Repeated snubs and more rejections on selection days saw that famous Ganguly grit re-ignited.

Nandi has an anecdote ready as he distinctly remembers the day when VVS Laxman and Wasim Jaffer were picked for the one-dayers in South Africa before Ganguly. “That day he was a man motivated. He came to ground in a foul mood and we were supposed to do a sprint session. His timing that day would have been on a par with any top athlete. He was fired that day,” he says.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who travelled extensively with Ganguly while he became a frequent flier on the domestic circuit, also talks about the same positive mindset.

“At times we used to sit and watch international games in the hotel room at some remote place, and Dadi used to always appreciate a good performance. The bitterness was never there, though at times he used to get disillusioned and ask me to shut the telly,” he says.

... contd.