Calcutta: Sourav Ganguly, who struck his 14th century — and his first at the Eden — on Friday, could not hide his feelings at the press conference.

The following are excerpts

On his first hundred at the Eden

It feels nice to get a hundred anywhere, but it’s different at the Eden because I’ve played all my life at this ground… To have ended (my career) without a Test hundred here would have been disappointing. That way it’s special.

On celebrating his century at the Eden

Eden is my home ground… A hundred is always special. This is my highest here… So the best… The expectations are always going to be there whether I bat at the Eden or in Melbourne. One way to get rid of it was to get a hundred. It has taken the burden off my shoulder. I’m glad it happened today.

On if he slept well last (Friday) night

Yeah, though the amount of sleep has diminished… I never thought of getting a hundred… My only aim was to score runs.

On not getting a double hundred so far

I hope it comes sometime before I finish…

On his game plan

I just wanted to bat, play on the merit of the ball. I knew it was a fast outfield and that I would get value for my shots. The important thing was to bat long and not throw it away. What also helped was the second new ball when I came in to bat yesterday (Friday). The SG ball gets soft and then it doesn’t travel too far off the bat. But with the new ball I got good value for shots.

On the pitch

The first two days were the best for batting... The surface will be good for batting tomorrow also. But probably after tea tomorrow (Sunday) and on the last two days it will turn a lot more than it’s doing now. It was a good toss to win… On subcontinental pitches the game can change very quickly on the fourth and fifth days. The pitch is already very dry and there are footmarks. It’s going to be a result pitch.

On India’s chances in the Test

The spinners will definitely play the most important role. But reverse swing will also come into play once the ball gets old.

On whether it was right for Pakistan to gamble with Shoaib Akhtar

Yesterday (Friday) he was unwell, but today I thought he bowled quick. You have to give it to him. He’d been in hospital for two days and wasn’t very well, but he stood up for the country and turned out to play. He could have easily said, ‘I’m not playing’… But that would have made the attack even weaker. He’s Pakistan’s best bowler.

On how he sees the game going

We think the Pakistan total in the first innings might be a big one. That’s why we made 616 (for five declared) and made the follow-on target suitably large. But things can change very quickly on the fourth and fifth days… We have to bowl well and then make things difficult for them in the second innings.

On if the side was sensing victory

Obviously, with 600 on the board and three days to go on a deteriorating pitch that is only going to get worse… If we bowl well we can pick 20 wickets.

On the injury to Zaheer

Nothing serious. He’s going to be bowling tomorrow.

On Jaffer’s innings

He has been a revelation since his comeback. I am always a fan of openers who plays shots… Sehwag used to bat this way… I am a fan of anyone who takes the pressure off.