'Enough was enough!': Sourav Ganguly reveals why he decided to retire in debut book 'A Century is Not Enough'

Sourav Ganguly is one of the most loved Indian cricketers, one of the most successful cricket captain and one of most talked about personalities in the cricketing world. The 'Prince of Kolkata' is considered the man who changed the attitude of Indian cricket. He was also among the best batsmen to ever play the game. 

Sourav Ganguly was never one to shy away from controversies. A man known for speaking his mind and a never-say-die attitude, Ganguly surprised many when he announced his retirement in 2008. Ganguly has not talked much about his decision to stop playing, but now he is ready to reveal all in his debut book 'A Century is Not Enough'. The book will come out by the end of the month. 
 
Ganguly on Friday, shared a preview of the book published on Juggernaut's page.

The preview details the days before and during Ganguly's farewell series. He explains how he decided to quit after he felt that selectors were constantly putting him on  trial for his place in the team. Ganguly was dropped from the Rest of India squad for 2008 Irani Trophy by national selectors. 

He writes, "...I had been left out of the Rest of India squad, which is a clear indicator of how the selectors feel about you. Me dropped? The Asian batsman and player of the year left out from a Rest of India team, I asked myself."

"I was angry. Disillusioned," Ganguly writes.

Ganguly said that he decided to call up then captain - Anil Kumble- and asked him point-blank whether Kumble thought he was no longer an automatic choice in his eleven. However, Kumble told him he hadn’t been consulted before the selection committee chaired by Dilip Vengsarkar took this decision.

Ganguly also talks about how he played a little known tournament to make his comeback in the national squad.   

"Go and play domestic cricket and convey a strong message to the selectors. Around that time I could only think of one cricket tournament that was coming up, the JP Atrya Memorial Trophy in Chandigarh... I called M.P. Pandove, the lifeblood of the Punjab Cricket Association, to tell him I desperately needed a team to play. He was of immense help and quietly obliged me even though my request had come in at the last minute."

"It was the seven toughest days of my cricketing career," Ganguly recalls. 

Ganguly was selected for the Indian team for the first two Test matches of the Australian series. However, he was also included in the Board President’s team that would take on the Australians in Chennai. Ganguly took this as a message that he was again on trial.

This was moment he decided to quit. 
 
"I wouldn’t let anyone else decide my future any more. I wouldn’t go through the ordeal again. I had had enough! Yes, I was angry. After reaching Bengaluru I informed Kumble that my mind was made up and I would announce shortly," writes Ganguly.