Sourav Ganguly is a busy man these days – a sought after voice as the legendary ex-captain of the Indian cricket team and now also co-owner of the Indian Super League (ISL) club Atletico de Kolkata, which will see light of the day from October 12.
Ganguly joined hands with Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid as the joint owners of the Kolkata franchise that was the first to be unveiled in the ISL – a city-based tournament involving eight teams that will play in the inaugural tournament from October 12 to December 20.
But with BCCI hosting West Indies for a full tour staring with the ODIs from Wednesday, Ganguly will have his hands full as a cricket expert and a football Club owner. However, the former India captain isn’t worried. “I need to look at both. Don’t worry, I will manage,” Ganguly told
“It’s the begining of something new, a lot to watch. ISL will do well for sure,” Ganguly said when asked about his views on whether the IPL-style football league will be a success.
Cricket gets the bigger share of the bite in India as fare as TRPs are concerned. In that light, an unknown football league clashing with a cricket tour is something ISL will have to stand against. “Both will be equally important. In India, though, cricket grabs utmost limelight. Let’s see what happens,” Ganguly said.
When asked to throw light on India’s squad selected for the ODI series against West Indies, Ganguly said inclusion of rookie chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav is a brave decision.
“No doubt it’s a brave decision, but he is a good wrist spinner; he will do well,” he said. “I feel selection [of bowlers] basically depends on how well they are bowling,” Ganguly concluded.
India and West Indies play first ODI of the five-match series on Wednesday at Kochi, while the ISL begins four days later in Ganguly’s hometown Kolkata on October 12.
