Confident that Sourav Ganguly will continue to serve the nation with passion, says Sachin Tendulkar

When they walked away from the 22 yards, they left the Indian fans' eyes moist, hearts filled with the moments that they believe they breathed in just as they did. But slowly, and steadily, the legendary figures of their childhood days are coming back into the fold to be the guardians of the game they once ruled. While Rahul Dravid is well on his merry way nurturing the future stars of Indian cricket as the Director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Ganguly is gearing up to take charge at the helm of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the AGM on October 23. And their partner-in-crime Tendulkar had complete faith in Ganguly’s capabilities to lead the national board ahead. 

"The way he has played his cricket and the way he has gone put and served the nation, I am sure he will continue to serve the nation in the same capacity and with the same passion...," Tendulkar said, reported Sportstar.

The 46-year-old who has, in the meantime, taken on mentorship roles with his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, is looking forward to that day — February 2, 2020, to be precise — when he will step onto the playing field once again.

“I will practice and all these cricketers are geared up and we shot a film yesterday, so everyone is charged up and it is a good feeling to be back on the field again after a long time. Whenever you walk on the field the feeling is different. Something that we will look to relive our rivalries on the field and as you must have picked we are good friends off the field," Tendulkar said.

Since his retirement from international cricket in 2013, Tendulkar has played for the MCC against Rest of the World XI at Lord's in 2014 and also featured in three exhibition T20s in the US in 2015. Much like him, the fans are counting down the days when the 'Saachin, Saachin' chants rule the stands once again.

"I had said that (Sachin-Sachin chant) would reverberate as long as I breathe, so here is another opportunity for me to experience that again, though during IPL and all that they (fans) have been kind enough to acknowledge and appreciate whenever I have walked on field, they have shown their affection... and that is what I have prayed that this love and affection should continue as long as I breathe," Tendulkar added.