Former South African captain Graeme Smith praised Sourav Ganguly for bringing change in Indian cricket. Smith said that Ganguly has always been such a player that if you poke him, then you were going to get something back always. He said that I have spent a long time with Dada especially in cricket administration now. We often talk on the phone. It is very easy to talk to him, he is always calm and often willing to talk about the betterment of the game.
Smith recalled Ganguly's celebration after winning the 2002 NatWest Trophy final, saying that I still remember when he took off his shirt and waved it after India beat England by two wickets in the final at the Lords. It was a really beautiful sight. He captained the team without fear. The celebration was synonymous to the fearless attitude Ganguly led the team with.
He has further said that his behavior on the field showed that he (Ganguly) does not come under any pressure. His epic celebration at Lord's can be gauged by how important that victory was to him.
Smith became the youngest captain in South Africa in 2003 at the age of 22. At that time, Ganguly was also the captain of the Indian team. But both of them faced each other very little. The former South African captain revealed that barring a few chances, our relations have been good and things never got out of hand and Ganguly never made him wait for the toss. As happened with former Australian captain Steve Waugh.
