Pressure will be on Ganguly, but he has fantastic cricket brain: Donald on Ganguly's SA20 coaching

Bengaluru, Sep 12 (PTI) Sourav Ganguly will be under "pressure" during his maiden coaching stint at the SA20, but legendary Allan Donald feels that the former Indian skipper's "fantastic cricket brain" will help him hurdle over the tough moments in the league.

Ganguly will guide Pretoria Capitals in the fourth edition of the SA20 from this December, and it also marks his foray into the high-pressure world of T20 franchise coaching.

"Ganguly has a fantastic cricket brain. There's no doubt that he will bring that experience to the fore with Pretoria Capitals. It's a very good squad that he's got there and they have such a great fan base as well. We are going to see full houses," Donald told select Indian media during an interaction facilitated by SA20.

"They're up there in Pretoria at Supersport Park. They've got one of the most well-supported grounds. There's no question about it. I think the people of Pretoria are expecting and expecting a lot. So, the pressure will be on Sourav for sure. But knowing him, he will come with a great plan," said Donald.

Donald has first-hand knowledge of Ganguly’s way of operation during his stint with Pune Warriors. Ganguly captained the Warriors in 2012 as Yuvraj Singh was undergoing treatment for cancer.

"I can only talk from a playing point of view when he was captain of Pune Warriors. He strikes me as an extremely calm guy, from his captaincy way back. It's (coaching) a difficult one for everyone. Jonathan Trott was there very briefly and now Sourav is the man in charge.

"But I just think he'll bring plenty of experience. He's been around the game for a very, very long time, not necessarily as a coach. He's been doing some mentor work with Delhi Capital. So, I think a few players who have been there could have a head start of knowing what he is about." The former South African pacer said Ganguly will get to know more about his role once he joins the team and meets the players.

"When you come to a tournament like this and you meet players, you only fly in sometimes. Some of them only fly in about four days before the competition. It's all about managing people.

"You know, there's not a heck of a lot of coaching or over-coaching going on. So, you really just manage players extremely well and pick the right combinations for your home games and your away games.

"So I just think he'll bring that just knowledge, smartness, calmness. So that's how I see him in a nutshell," he explained.

The 58-year-old said the presence of a legend like Ganguly will add to the experience of young players in the SA20.

"I've always said this, when I arrived at the IPL as a coach, you learn more from the players than you do from other coaches. And that's why the IPL is what it is and what it's produced.

"It was fascinating to sit in the same dressing room as Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, and just over a casual chat, just understand what those players are about. That's a special privilege. The Betway SA20 is no different. Now, Sourav Ganguly, he's coming with his batting philosophies.

"It's amazing. You might only play three games as a young man, but the learning from that month you're going to have by being in the same dressing room as those guys, no one can buy that," he added. PTI UNG AT AT