Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly desires a return to Team India, this time as...

Sourav Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian cricket team has indicated a willingness to consider coaching the Indian cricket team, while clearly dismissing any political ambitions in light of the upcoming 2026 West Bengal assembly elections. The 53-year-old ex-President of the BCCI shared these insights during a recent podcast interview with PTI in Kolkata. Ganguly, who held the position of Team Director for the Delhi Capitals from 2018 to 2019 and again from 2022 to 2024, responded to speculation regarding his future in cricket administration and coaching.

"I never really thought about it because I got into different roles. I finished (competitive cricket) in 2013 and then became Board (BCCI) President," Ganguly stated, emphasizing that his most significant contribution as BCCI President was the promotion of women's cricket.

When asked about coaching the Indian team, Ganguly responded: "We'll see what the future holds. I'm just 50 (53), so let's see what happens. I'm open to it. We'll see where it goes."

On the political front, Ganguly was clear in his response. When questioned about the prospect of joining a political party, he plainly said: "I am not interested." Even when further inquired about the chance of being offered the position of state chief minister, he upheld the same position.

Ganguly expressed his views on the performance of the current Indian coach, Gautam Gambhir, highlighting the progress he has made since the Champions Trophy win in Dubai.

"Gautam (Gambhir) is doing a good job. He started off a little slow, losing to Australia and New Zealand, but he picked up with the Champions Trophy. This is going to be a big series (vs England)," Ganguly added.

Speaking about Gambhir's coaching style, Ganguly said: "I haven't seen him from very close in this role, but I know he is very passionate. I haven't observed his strategies closely because I haven't worked with him as a coach. He's very straightforward, he sees things clearly, and he's very open about what he feels, about the team, players, people, everything. From the outside, you can tell he's a very transparent person - what you see is what you get."

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