Bangladesh batsman Soumya Sarkar has revealed that former Indians captain Sourav Ganguly was his first cricket hero, and then later he admired all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. Soumya also revealed how he became a left-handed batsman even though he is not a natural left-hander. Soumya was impressed by Ganguly’s skills against spinners and thus became his fan. “My life’s first cricket hero was Sourav Ganguly. I was a fan of him even before I understood cricket fully,” the Bangladesh batsman was quoted as saying by bdnews24. Virat Kohli Sledged and Abused Our Batsmen: Bangladesh Pacer Rubel Hossain Reveals Rivalry With Indian Captain Since U19 Days.

“One day my brother said, ‘You will be a left-handed batsman like Ganguly and bowl right-arm medium pace’. I’m not a natural left-hander, I started it after my brother’s advice. Except batting, I do all my work with the right-hand. I used to watch Sourav play on TV along with my brother. That time, an India-Pakistan game had a separate fanbase. While growing up, I became a fan of his cover-drive. And hitting the spinners by stepping out was incredible,” Soumya said.

The left-handed batsman said he loved Yuvraj’s aggressiveness and while growing up, the former Indian cricketer became his favourite cricketer. “After growing up, Yuvraj Singh became my favourite cricketer. I loved his aggressive style of batting from the word go. He used to change the course of the game pretty quickly. He didn’t spare anyone and was fearless. Even I wish to play like him,” Soumya said.

The 27-year-old also revealed his meeting with Yuvraj and how the senior cricketer helped him gain self-belief. “When I met Yuvraj, he asked me to have self-belief. He told me that I have the potential to turn the course of any match. He also advised me to not lose faith no matter how bad the situation is,” Soumya added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2020 02:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).