PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Daren Ganga paid tribute to the Trinidad & Tobago side that won the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament which ended last Sunday in Barbados.
The former T&T captain said he was pleased to see that the team had maintained the high level of competitiveness which they had developed under his leadership.
“Here it was, I was in a position taking in a bird’s-eye view of everything we have built and every system we have put in place in T20 cricket,” he said in an interview with the local daily, T&T Express.
“To see a structure work and to see the dominance of our style of play and the manner in which we play T20 proves to me that all the standards we set ourselves really and truly have given us the benchmark that is comparable to World standards.”
He said: “All credit must go to the players, the captain, the technical team for being able to execute, which is the most critical thing in any match.
“It was the first time I’ve experienced that feeling (from the outside) and it brought a certain level of pride to me as a player.”
Ganga stepped down from the post of captain in controversial circumstances, but said he had few regrets.
“Obviously, every single T&T player would love to be there at the end lifting a trophy for T&T,” he said.
“It’s a natural part of every sports person to want to receive that glory. But, at the same time, I recognised that I had my limitations because of my injury and it was important for T&T to have other players continue all the systems we have built.”
He said: “I’ve always told myself that before I stop playing, rather than lead, I would love to contribute as a player and support the next leader of T&T and that is exactly what I want to do.”
Over the last few months, Ganga battled with a back injury and visited two specialists to get a proper diagnosis.
He has been cleared of serious injury by the doctors and hoped to receive more good news when he visited the doctor on Wednesday.
“For the last week or so since I came back from my responsibilities as a sports ambassador in India, I’ve been batting in the nets, I’ve been taking my occasional jogs and working within a pain-free limitation,” he said.
“The long and short of it is we are waiting on [the doctor’s] recommendations and the chairman (of selectors Dudnath Ramkessoon) has indicated his willingness to include me in preparation and training for the new season,” he said. “Only time and fitness is going to determine my participation.”
