Modi leads wishes for Ganguly’s quick recovery
INDIAN cricket chief Sourav Ganguly was set to be discharged on Wednesday (6) after a successful heart operation, doctors said, as well wishes including from the prime minister continued to pour in for the former star and captain.
The 48-year-old, who heads the country’s powerful cricket board, suffered a heart attack while exercising last Saturday (2).
He was immediately taken to Woodlands hospital in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, where doctors found three blockages in his arteries, one of which needed a stent implant.
“Sourav Ganguly is now stable and without support of oxygen after undergoing angioplasty,” doctor Saroj Mandal told reporters.
“Genetic history and long-term stress and other factors may have caused the disease,” Mandal said, adding that a seven-member medical team was monitoring his health.
A crowd of well-wishers remained outside the hospital waiting for updates about dada, a term of affection used for an elder brother in Bengali.
Prime minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ganguly last Sunday (3) to inquire about his health and wish him a quick recovery, the hospital said.
India’s record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar also tweeted his support. “Just got to know about your ailment Sourav. Hope each passing day brings you closer to a full and speedy recovery! Get well soon,” the cricket legend wrote.
India’s current stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane and regular skipper Virat Kohli also tweeted their prayers for his quick recovery.
Ganguly was unanimously elected president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the sport’s most powerful body in the country, in 2019.
As BCCI chief, he was instrumental in organising the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates last year amid the pandemic.
The left-handed opener retired from Test cricket in 2008 having accumulated 7,212 runs including 16 centuries – his first made at Lord’s on debut. He also scored 11,363 runs in 311 ODIs.