Kamal Ghorui
Sourav Ganguly has made a striking start to his coaching career, with the former India captain guiding Pretoria Capitals into the final of the SA20 in his very first season at the helm. Ganguly is currently leading the Capitals’ campaign as head coach, with the Keshav Maharaj-led side sealing a place in the title clash scheduled for Sunday, January 25. Pretoria Capitals booked their spot in the final on Wednesday after a convincing seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Qualifier 1 at Kingsmead, Durban. Dewald Brevis played the decisive role with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 75 off just 38 balls, including four fours and seven sixes, to steer the Capitals home.
Ganguly was appointed head coach of Pretoria Capitals ahead of the fourth edition of the SA20, with former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock joining the support staff as assistant coach. Under their guidance, the Capitals finished second on the points table, collecting 24 points from five wins and four losses before peaking at the business end of the tournament. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was full of praise for Ganguly’s impact, lauding his maiden coaching stint and suggesting it showcased the global potential of Indian coaches.
R Ashwin post
“He once said ‘When I write my autobiography, it will create tremors’. For now he is creating tremors in South Africa with his @PretoriaCapsSA team. His leadership has always been inspirational and this one as a coach is no different, Taking Indian coaching to the world,” Ashwin wrote on X. Ganguly had earlier spoken about his openness to coaching India, shortly before taking up the SA20 role. Speaking to PTI, he said, “I never really thought about it because I got into different roles… I’m just 50 (53), so let’s see what happens. I’m open to it.” Widely regarded as one of India’s finest captains, Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, scoring over 18,000 international runs. He led India to the 2003 World Cup final and the iconic NatWest Trophy win at Lord’s in 2002, before later serving as president of both the CAB and the BCCI from 2019 to 2022.
