2009-11-24

Port of Spain: Trinidad and Tobago cricket captain Daren Ganga revealed that his players endured a trying period while preparing for the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 tournament.
T&t finished runners-up to the New South Wales Blues losing by 41 runs and were the surprise team of the tournament.

"We practised as we prepared as a team with little or no fanfare prior to our departure to India and if it is one thing as captain and people very close to the team recognise, people pay respect to what happens on the field," said Ganga.

TT captain explained that the team understood that they cannot give any excuses.  "We gave a commitment, and a strong commitment to do everything possible as players to ensure that we were very well prepared for the opportunities that we were going to encounter" Ganga was quoted as saying by Trinidad Express.

He added: "We have been training for two months and not one day did we complain about the shortage of Gatorade, did we complain about not being given dinner. When you come to practice at 2pm after probably some guys working and finishing at 6.30pm not for one day did we complain, but we recognised that all we would be accountable for were our performances on the field."

Ganga commended the cricketers who endured the training and the tough conditions to bring glory to Trinidad and Tobago."I must thank the guys who were committed to making that sacrifice and I am just not talking about the guys who went to India but all the players who were part of that training. That says a lot about what we can achieve not just as a Trinidad and Tobago team but as a West Indian nation," said Ganga.

In comparison to the other teams competing in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament Ganga acknowledged that his team came to terms and accepted the fact that there were always going to be limitations and difficulties in being adequately prepared.

"The experience in India was a fantastic one as much as we didn't really know the effect that we had because of our performances in Trinidad. As players we really felt fulfilled because here it was we were reaping the rewards of the hard work we have put in. It may sound simple, it may sound basic and a lot of people say it a lot of times when they address people...but to live it and do it are two different things," said Ganga.

However the Trinidad and Tobago skipper believes the team needs to rebound quickly.

"We fell short of our goal and we recognised that. And that is why what you saw and what you listened to in Guyana panned out that way because we had a lot to prove. We knew we were short in India and we knew we had to make up in Guyana. What I can say is it is not easy travelling for two days and going one morning and playing a 50-over game. It is one of the toughest things. But to see a team rise and see a team recognise who they were representing, what they were playing for the title they were defending, I think is very important. Very few teams in the West Indies think like that and operate like that and it is a culture we have developed over the years" said Ganga.