The captain of the Indian cricket team Sourav Ganguly has been dogged by various controversies during his career. However, the man himself feels that one should not be bothered with these things too much. In an interview to a vernacular daily in Kolkata, Ganguly has stated that controversy follows him simply because he talks straight and from the heart. "I believe that if you talk straight, there is bound to be some initial controversy. However, in the end, everything returns to normal. And with cricket being so competitive these days, one cannot simply avoid critical situations which ultimately leads to controversial situations," said Ganguly.

Ganguly has been recently criticized by Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. In his column, Pataudi had written that Ganguly should mix with the boys in a friendly manner. The Indian captain, however, feels that Pataudi is in no position to make such a statement. "How does he know the present conditions in the Indian dressing room and the way I mingle with my teammates," retorts Ganguly. "So he should not have made such a comment without verifying the situation," said Ganguly.

Answering another question as to whether his performance in Tests have been satisfactory, Ganguly says, "I know that I could have done better. However, I am satisfied with the way I have performed during Test matches. One should not forget that in Tests I usually bat at number five and six. In the one-day games, I open the innings. So the scope of performing is much better." However, even then, he is not ready to promote himself up the batting order simply because it will affect the rhythm of the team.

The Indian captain is on holiday at present. He will start preparing for the home contests against Australia very soon. At the moment, however, he is not ready to talk about the preparations for the series. He is said to be anxious because he may not be able to avail the services of Anil Kumble. But he is mentally gearing himself up to tackle the battle ahead without India's ace spinner. According to the selector from East Zone, Ganguly may play one match in the Duleep Trophy, probably the last one against West Zone.

© CricInfo