Among the first few things that India's new football coach Syed Nayeemuddin is doing is to turn to cricket for inspiration for his boys.
Nayeem, back as India's coach after seven years, is set to invite Team India captain Sourav Ganguly for a pep talk session with the national players in the hope that the cricketer's fierce competitiveness would rub off on some of his boys.
"A session with him is going to be a privilege. A suitable date has to be worked out," Nayeem was quoted as saying by the local media.
The coach will be looking to work up a fierce competitive frenzy among his boys before they participate in the SAFF Cup in December, Nayeem's first assignment since he took over last week.
The football coach, himself an Asian Games bronze medal-winning captain, says he has tremendous respect for Ganguly's achievements, both as a player and a captain.
"I'm amazed at the lack of respect for Sourav's achievements. To me, records matter and it hurts to see that his achievements have been forgotten so quickly. Surely, winning almost a hundred matches is not a small matter," Nayeem said.
Nayeem has always had heroes among cricketers with Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi topping that list.
Apart from inviting Ganguly for a session with his footballers, he also intends to invite former Indian football legends like P.K. Banerjee and Chuni Goswami, whom he considers as his gurus.
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