Chennai: Sourav Ganguly is a few months short of his 36th birthday but the hunger for runs hasn’t gone. He remains passionate too. On Tuesday, hours before the start of a fresh Test series, Sourav spoke to The Telegraph at the Taj Connemara.

The following are excerpts

Q The last India-South Africa series had seen your international comeback. Your thoughts on the eve of another face-off against South Africa?

A I won’t be trying to do anything different… I’ll try and keep things simple, which I believe is the best way forward… Except the last two Tests in Australia, I’ve been among the runs ever since that comeback at the Wanderers and I’ll again be looking to contribute…

Were there nerves on the morning of December 15, 2006, the first day of that series?

I was a bit tense but also pretty excited… For whatever reason, I hadn’t got an opportunity (in Tests) for 10 months and, so, it was great getting back… I had the confidence to deliver and the 80-odd in the first innings of the warm-up game in Potchefstroom made me even more confident… I’d, of course, never for a moment lost the belief that I could prove I was good enough for the highest level.

Who made you feel most comfortable in the dressing room?

Most of the players… I didn’t feel awkward.

And Greg Chappell?

That bit is over… I wouldn’t like to keep talking about that period.

We lost quite a few wickets early on and, so, you were quickly in the thick of action (110 for four in the 42nd over) at the Wanderers…

The situation didn’t weigh me down… It’s just that despite being good enough, I hadn’t been getting opportunities.

How long did it take you to actually settle down?

(Grins) No time at all… Don’t forget I’d been around for a decade…

You top scored with an unbeaten 51 in the first innings. Because of the circumstances, do you see that as one of your finest knocks?

One of the most meaningful and one which I won’t forget…

Today, how do you look back on the past 16 months or so?

With a lot of satisfaction. In this period, I’ve scored 2,600 runs (1,360 of them coming in the oldest form, average of 50-plus) in Tests and ODIs… Very satisfying indeed… Talking of Tests, I’ve played a number of innings, be it at the Wanderers or at Trent Bridge… Or even at the Kotla (against Pakistan)… I’ve contributed when the team needed something substantial to force a win… Also, don’t forget the double hundred in Bangalore and the runs in Melbourne and Sydney.

Anything you’ve learnt in this period?

Not just in this period but, generally, that you never know what’s in store… Generally, I believe that the best is yet to come… I believe that tomorrow could be an even better day… This belief has been the driving force in my life… (After a pause) This belief has come from experience… There have, for example, been times when I haven’t played well and wondered whether I’ll be able to so the next day or in the next innings… I’ve actually gone on to do so.

What about the time you were out of Team India?

What I learnt then is that there’s more to life than cricket… That realisation allowed me to play with freedom… Took the pressure off me…

To talk of the last Test series, in Australia…

(Interrupting) I don’t want to harp on the Sydney Test, but we could’ve won — or, at least — drawn there and the result would’ve been different… The 2003-04 (drawn) series in Australia is seen as a defining moment, but the last one was no different... We lost 1-2, but our win came in Perth… For me, that’s the greatest Indian victory… A team from the sub-continent winning at the Waca inside four days… It’s right at the top for me.

If Perth’s at the top, the other 2 in your top 3 would be…

Beating England at Headingley (2002) and defeating Australia at the Eden (2001).

What about our tri-series success in Australia?

A great win… The way Sachin (Tendulkar) batted in both finals was awesome… The way our bowlers bowled was great… Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan… All in fact…

Are you hopeful of making another ODI comeback?

Oh yes, absolutely… I’ve been the best one-day player, after Sachin, for a long time… I know I wasn’t left out (of the tri-series) because of a lack of form.

Team India’s ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni felt a bit uncomfortable on meeting you (Chennai airport, on Saturday) for the first time after the tri-series…

He didn’t have to feel uncomfortable… Whether I’m in the one-day team or not, my relationship with Dhoni (who made his India debut under him) will not change… My good wishes will always be with him.

Your impressions of him as a captain?

It’s early days for him but he’s given the results… We’ve won the World Twenty20, then the ODI series at home against Pakistan and the tri-series in Australia… He’s young and, so, his way of handling things is bound to be different from that of Anil (Kumble)…

This senior-junior/young-old business has been doing the rounds for some time…

Wouldn’t like to get into it.

How is Kumble, the Test captain?

Anil’s been fantastic… One sign of a good captain is when he keeps faith in his players… If you look at the squad for the first Test, it has some who had a poor series in Australia… They didn’t get dropped… Anil, obviously, believes that if somebody has ability then he has to be backed.

Given that you’re India’s most successful Test captain, have the two of you ever had a chat exclusively on captaincy?

No… But whenever I’ve felt an idea needed to be given, I’ve done that… Anil’s open to ideas but I realise that he’s the captain and does need space to operate… Moreover, as captain, he has his views and thoughts.

You lost the captaincy in October 2005… Do you miss the hot seat?

(Laughs) No… No…

The South Africans may prove to be formidable opponents… How do you rate Graeme Smith’s team?

It’s a good side, with a good bowling unit… Jacques Kallis, Smith himself… They have the ability to make a difference… I know South Africa beat Pakistan in Pakistan, but they’ll find us much tougher.

What do we need to do?

Bat well and put big runs on the board…

Win the toss too…

Not necessary… One shouldn’t worry about the toss and one shouldn’t put everything in the toss-basket… Remember, I’d lost the toss at the Eden in the last India-South Africa Test at home (2004-05), but we still won.

The last one: Any goals for the series?

Hope to do well… Hope we win… That’s it.