Deep Dasgupta is the present Captain of the
Bengal Ranji Side. He is a Wicket Keeper-Batsman who once
served India as a makeshift opener in Test Matches. Dasgupta
helped India with some fine knocks including a century against
England but he couldn't really create an impact through his
glove work. He has been serving Bengal Cricket quite admirably
for the last few seasons with both bat and his wicket keeping.
Here is what he had to say to BV Swagath about his Career on
September 4, 2006, his Team mate and Former India Captain,
Sourav Ganguly and other aspects...
Well Deep, Bengal team had lifted its game and had ended up as
runners up in last season's Ranji Trophy Championship. So are
you guys happy with the way you are playing as a team?
Definitely, we are happy with the progress we had made last year
but I think it would be concrete only if we kind of keep this
performance going for a period of time. I mean just one year
doesn't mean anything and prove anything. Definitely we had
played well but the idea is to keep on going like this for as
long as possible.
So what
is the goal for Bengal this season? You have a well balanced
team, isn't it?
We do have a good side; we have a good balanced side with senior
players and juniors and with Sourav coming in, that really
helps. As far as the goal is concerned, it is to take one match
at a time and follow the routines we had planned from last year
onwards. In our team every person has his own role to play and
the idea is to individually fulfill their roles.
Okay then the Captain of the Bengal
Team, Deep Dasgupta, what does he think of his new role of
marshalling the resources on the field? How easy or tough is it
to lead Bengal?
See it is an honour to lead Bengal, I mean it is a state where
people are very enthusiastic and are very passionate about
sports. And to lead a team of really talented guys is amazing. I
mean it is a fact that everybody knows that we have been
underperforming for a period of time for the kind of talent we
have and the players we have, we definitely should be playing a
lot better than this. And that's exactly what we had proved last
season to the world and for ourselves that we are good enough to
be right up there amongst the best.
You have a potent new ball pair of Shib
Sankar Paul and Ranadeb Bose who have been taking wickets on a
consistent basis. Could you tell us more about these two pacers
for the benefit of all the domestic cricket fans?
We have Shib Sankar Paul who was in the 30 probables list for
the Champions Trophy; he has been bowling really well for the
last three-four seasons. In fact he along with Ranadeb Bose, who
was there in the Challenger Trophy, attended a couple of India A
camps last year. I think it is a big bonus for us, both of them
are wicket taking bowlers and both of them are different kind of
bowlers. Both these bowlers aren't tear away quicks but they are
quick off the wicket and they move the ball a lot, they have
plenty of experience having played for about five years of first
class cricket. So that really helps and they are ably backed up
by Sourasish Lahiri who was one of the top wicket takers in last
season. He is a top off spinner and he is bowling really well in
last couple of seasons.
Could you tell us all the memories about your Test Match Debut
at Bloemfontein in 2001, a Test Match better known for Virender
Sehwag's century on Debut? You had a good start with the bat but
then you had to toil hard for more than 140 overs on the field
later?
That was an awesome start, in fact I wasn't supposed to be
playing in that Test Match. But in the morning of the Test
Match, 30-40 minutes before the Toss I think, Samir Dighe, who
was supposed to be the No.1 Keeper had a back spasm. So he
wasn't fit enough to play and Sourav came up to me and said that
"you are playing". It was a great experience playing at
Bloemfontein against South Africa which was a top bowling side
on a good wicket to get an opportunity to play my first Test
Match. And the best part as you said, Viru's hundred and I had
the opportunity of standing at the other end watching Viru play
some amazing shots and be at the time when he had got to his
hundred.
Your Maiden Test Hundred had helped India win against England at
Mohali, could you relive that test match for us?
Well nothing, I was just concentrating one ball at a time and
that's what it was, taking one ball at a time. My job was to
stay there while you had people like Rahul, Sachin, Sourav and
Laxman coming in. So like I said my job was just to be there and
help them out with their game and be there for as long as
possible. That's what I had done and I was there for 5-6 hours
and the runs came by and I got to a hundred.
Your initial steps in cricket were quite a story, isn't it? You
were coached by a woman if I am not mistaken and you had scored
a century on first class debut against Baroda in 1998? Talk us
about that.
That's right, I was coached by a lady called Sunita Sharma when
I was in Delhi. She won the Dronacharya Award last year. I had
shifted over to Calcutta, when I was 16 and I played Under 19
for Bengal and East Zone. So that's that and I got a break in
the Ranji Side when I was 20 and yeah the best part was getting
a hundred in my first game against Baroda.
People remember you more for your
resolute batting in test matches more than your keeping. What
are your comments?
Nothing much, I mean it's for people what they want to think or
say, that's their opinion and I can't do anything about that.
All I can say is that I still think that I am a Wicket Keeper
who can bat and that's what it is.
I have asked this question to several other Indian Wicket
Keepers. Now we would like to know from Deep Dasgupta what kind
of adjustments he had to make while keeping to Anil Kumble and
Harbhajan Singh?
See we have to understand that those two are of a different
class altogether where they get a lot more bounce and more turn
from the wicket than anyone else on Indian wickets. So you got
to make your adjustments because you expect the ball to come a
lot quicker, bounce a lot higher and turn a lot more than most
of the other spinners you keep in the Domestic Circuit. So that
way, you have to make such adjustments and likewise I did and
may be I made lot more changes than I should have. May be it's
because I listen to lot of people and may be I was better off
keeping just the way I was.
 Greg
Chappell thinks that Sourav Ganguly has a negative influence on
the players. Tell us since you are very close to him being a
team mate, how does Sourav Dada gets along with his Bengal team
mates?
See I don't know about other people what they think but as far
as the Bengal Dressing Room is concerned, he has been good. He
makes all these youngsters feel very comfortable because when
most of them come into the Dressing Room to see someone like
Sourav Ganguly who has 15000 International Runs with I think 34
international hundreds, it is very inspiring. You don't
generally get to feel like he had achieved such great feats and
he is very down to earth kind of person when he is in the Bengal
Dressing Room and the youngsters are very happy to be around
him. He talks with them and helps them out, so as far as Bengal
Dressing Room is concerned, he is not a problem at all.
Now that you are leading the Bengal
Side, how does Sourav Ganguly help you out on the field?
He does help me out a lot, I mean if he has any plan or anything
for a bowler or a batsman in his mind, he just comes up to me
and says "Deep, you can try this out". And the best part is that
he doesn't expect me to do whatever moves he suggests. There is
no compulsion on me and he wouldn't say "Deep, you have to do
this" and he doesn't get upset or sad about it when I don't do
what he had suggested. He leaves the decision making entirely on
me and that's really great. And whenever we are in a tricky
situation, I go up to him and ask "What do you think I should be
doing now" and he is always there to help me out.
Tell us what kind of person is Deep
Dasgupta is and what does he do apart from playing cricket?
Well, I think I am an easy going, fun loving kind of guy. If I
am not playing cricket, I try to spend as much as time possible
with my family. I have got a wonderful wife and a year and a
half old amazingly cute son who always keeps me busy.
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