27-year-old Soumya Sarkar has revealed that he is a die-hard fan of former India captain Sourav Ganguly. He mentioned that he fell in love with the elegance of Sourav Ganguly even before he could understand the game.

Terming Ganguly his 'first cricket hero' Sarkar said, “My life’s first cricket hero was Sourav Ganguly. I was a fan of him even before I understood cricket fully. 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.”

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“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 Sarkar told bdnews24.

“Later he continued to do well as a captain. I visited Kolkata for the Bangladesh U-16 team and saw Sourav face to face for the first time. It was right in front. I wanted to talk. But I could not say anything. I just stared in amazement,” Sarkar said about meeting Ganguly face to face.

Sarkar also had another role model in one more left-handed batsman, India’s Yuvraj Singh. “After growing up, Yuvraj Singh became my favorite 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 Sarkar said while talking about Yuvraj.

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"Yuvraj's timing was special, as soon as he touched the bat, the ball would run like a bullet. I liked his dedication to the team. He was a great team player and always thought about the team. I liked his bowling, his great fielding, his walk on the field, his style," he added.

Sarkar revealed a piece of advice he got from Yuvraj when he met him.

“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.

Sarkar has represented Bangladesh in 55 ODIs, 15 Tests and 50 T20I matches so far having made his debut in 2014.