Sourav Ganguly wants to be Team India coach

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is open to coaching the senior national team if the Indian cricket board feels that he is a suitable candidate for the hot seat.

“Obviously, I have interest in coaching but only time will tell what can happen in future. If the BCCI feels that I can be a good coach, I will be ready. I feel I can create a difference in terms of the ability of the players, their form and their development. That will be one way of my repaying the game,” Ganguly said.

One of the most successful among Indian captains, the stylish left-hander of yesteryears maintained that captain is always the main man and coach can only be a back-up support.

“I have always maintained that the captain is the most important link in the team and he has to take certain on-field decisions. When I was captain for 5-6 years, there were many occasions when I had to reverse whatever we had decided in the team meetings according to situations. The coach is just there to help the captain,” he observed.

Ganguly is a firm believer that once the match starts, the coach takes “back seat” as ultimately the players will go out and perform.

“Whosoever it can be; a Ganguly or a Rahul Dravid, maybe a Sachin Tendulkar and a Duncan Fletcher, the coach will have to support the captain through his man management skills,” he told Hindi news channel Aaj Tak.

When asked if he was eyeing the World Cup 2015 as the timeframe for him to become the coach, Ganguly felt Duncan ought to be a frontrunner for that.