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Ganesh credits coach, captain for his rise
From being an unwanted entity reduced to a restless onlooker to becoming an indispensable member of the same team having to deal with an avalanche of encomiums heaped on him by fans who have come to accept him as one of their own, Chennaiyin FC's D Ganesh's journey from dejection to elation was the upshot of shedding a considerable amount of blood, sweat and tears.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
How times change and with it the fortune of a few individuals who are elevated to the status of a somebody from the nadir of being a nobody.
And it was also due to change in fortune brought about by the arrival of a new manager who made him believe that he is the lifeblood of his revamped midfield.
In his own words, Ganesh had grown weary, not of playing — but of warming the benches — in his first two years at Chennaiyin FC and it soon manifested itself into a hotbed of discontent.
Surely, no player likes to have the prefix ‘benchwarmer’ to his name and after an uneasy and unholy dalliance with the bench, not by choice but under compulsion, the 26-year-old turned sallow at a place where despair and its associates assumed frightening proportions of an epidemic.
Cut to the present, Ganesh is getting increasingly weary but this stems from him tirelessly posing for selfies and patiently answering a seemingly unending stream of questions from enquiring minds, eager to know the reason behind his drastic transformation.
In a 'Meet n Greet' interaction organised by Nippon Paint (India) on Wednesday, Ganesh said his eyes welled up with tears when his fans unfurled banners bearing his name.
“The fans had never seen me play on the biggest stage before. But they kept supporting me. I guess it was the fans club “B Stand Blues” which brought out banners in favour of me. I was touched by that loving gesture.
The fans played a part in me playing games regularly this season. I was upset and ashamed after not being able to make it to the starting eleven in my first two seasons with CFC,” said a visibly emotional Ganesh.
While his loyal fans who gathered at the venue were singing his praises, the man himself made some complimentary remarks about his team’s coach and captain.
“I have never seen or played under a captain like Sereno in my life. He was extremely supportive and used to help his teammates with off-field issues as well. As for John Gregory, I was not part of his plans during pre-season. But he kept encouraging me that I will get my chance one day and urged me to make the best use of it,” added the defensive midfielder.
In contrast to his on-field persona of a raging bull, Ganesh is quite the amiable person off it. Sharing his views on this incongruity, Ganesh said he wouldn’t think twice before flinging himself at a tackle if it is of benefit to his team.
“I play as a defensive midfielder for the side. My role is to get aggressive with my opponents in order to get the ball back. I have not really thought about being booked with yellow cards,” opined Ganesh.
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