Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq recalled a story about having a misconception about former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Mushtaq perceived Ganguly to have a certain unfriendly vibe.

In an interview with SportsKeeda, he revealed how he had a different point of view after the two conversed over a cup of coffee during India's tour to Pakistan in 2003-04.

"There are some people with whom you don't feel like talking or interacting. During our playing days, initially, I had that feeling for Sourav Ganguly. He was India's captain and a legend without a doubt. However, whenever we met, it was always "hello", "hi" and nothing more. I had a feeling that he thinks very highly of himself," he began recalling.

Saqlain described how Ganguly's random act of kindness following the former spinner's surgery caused him to change his perception of the then-Indian skipper.

"After my knee operation in 2003-04, Ganguly was there on that tour and Sachin Tendulkar as well. Sachin had just had an elbow injury. I was playing a side match against India. It was my first match after rehab and I had to play county for Sussex," 

"Believe me, Ganguly brought two cups of coffee. The roofs of the two dressing rooms were together. There was just a small wall in between. You could either jump or come from behind. He jumped with two coffee cups in his hands and came to meet me. I was shocked and was wondering what he was doing here." he added.

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Saqlain admitted that his initial impression of the "Prince of Calcutta" left him feeling ashamed. Then he recounted how the two discussed things and how he came to admire the flamboyant cricketer as a person.

"That changed my perception of Ganguly. I felt ashamed regarding my misconception of such a nice human. I never had a conversation with him before and assumed that he was a strange person and had an ego."

"During our chat, he asked about my knee and even guided and motivated me. We spoke about cricket and life and had some fun chat as well. While Ganguly was going back, I said 'Sorry Sourav bhai, I had the wrong perception about you, but this meeting has completely changed that'". "I told him, 'I have become your fan as a human'. Of course, enough cannot be said about what he has done as a player. But after that chat, he had won my heart as a human too."

(SPORTSKEEDA INPUTS)