'Dada would never be in a hurry' - Irfan Pathan opens up on Sourav Ganguly's habit of arriving late for the toss

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was known for his tendency to arrive late for the coin toss during the course of his illustrious captaincy tenure. There have been instances when former skippers like Steve Waugh and Nasser Hussain also had to wait until ‘Dada’ arrived for the toss.

Hussain, regarding Ganguly’s habit of arriving late, had recently revealed that he hated it as he had to wait for the Prince of Kolkata to make an appearance in the middle. Recalling this particular side of Ganguly, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan made an interesting revelation that ‘Dada’ would never be in a hurry even if he’s getting late for the toss.

Dada used to look at the clock whenever it was time for the toss: Irfan Pathan

“On my first tour of Australia, when he made Steve Waugh wait, I remember it clearly. I would be in the dressing room and I remember whenever it was time for the toss, Dada used to look at the clock, and the manager would remind him that it’s time to go out for the toss,” said Irfan on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected.

“During the Sydney Test, I remember it was Sachin paaji who said ‘Dada, you should go. It’s time for the toss’. But Dada would take his sweet time to put on his shoes, sweater; adjusting his cap. “When a person is getting late, the pressure becomes visible on his face but Dada would never be in a hurry,” added Irfan.

Recently, Ganguly had also reacted to his trend of arriving late for the toss. While recalling India-Australia encounter where he had made Waugh wait, Ganguly revealed that it was an accident as he had left his blazer in the dressing room.

“It was an accident actually. In the first Test match, I left my blazer in the dressing room. They were such a good side, and I was really nervous in that series because it was my first big series as captain,” Ganguly recently told Mayank Agarwal on ‘Open Nets with Mayank’ show.

Nonetheless, Ganguly was regarded as one of the most successful skippers in Indian cricket. He is often credited for reinforcing the Indian side after taking over the captaincy. Under him, India won the NatWest Trophy, were declared joint-winners in 2002 Champions Trophy and ended runners-up in 2003 World Cup in South Africa.