Calcutta/Nagpur: Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly failed to score in the final innings of his career in Nagpur on Sunday, but former cricketers, some of whom had played with him, felt there was nothing to be upset about.

The following are the excerpts (alphabetically):

Sambaran Banerjee: We will definitely miss him from tomorrow... Actually he was an addiction to every home in Bengal. Sourav’s been a big journey in Indian cricket. I don’t know how long will it take to fill this gap. Time and again before his retirement he has proved that he is the best. I think it was a graceful retirement after Sunil Gavaskar unlike many former cricketers… People still want him to play… There lies the gracefulness of his retirement.

Subroto Banerjee: He got 85 in the first innings, that’s a good thing. It is sad that we won’t see more of him but he has had a good career.

Gopal Bose: Even Don Bradman was out without scoring in his last innings… Any similarity with Bradman always makes us feel good and it’s the same today. But to be honest we were expecting him to score a big innings like what he did in the first one. But that’s not a big issue. Even Sunil Gavaskar in his final innings missed a century by four runs… His contribution is incomparable…

Utpal Chatterjee: He was successful in both forms of the game… He has done a great job and never let us down. I doubt how long it would take to fill up the vacuum. He took Indian cricket to new heights and changed the game totally. It was a great career. But I feel he has lot more to offer. I wish him the best.

Devang Gandhi: It was an amazing journey for him. The way he has performed in this series was really great… He is leaving on a high. Basically he has proved a lot of people wrong. But I feel that he still had a couple of years left in him. He made a wonderful comeback in South Africa and after that had a good average… He was solid, composed and always in good touch. I congratulate him for such a wonderful career and wish him and his family the best.

Syed Saba Karim: It’s unfortunate but I think Sourav is mature enough to understand... He must go back and relish the many good memories… fighting and beautiful memories he has. There are many milestones to remember and cherish.

Arun Lal: It was an unfortunate decision. He has done splendidly. But we wanted him to go on for some more years. It was a fantastic career and I wish him all the best.

Ravi Shastri: It’s unfortunate but it happens to the greats. Happened to Bradman... That’s why we say sport is a leveller. I think he shouldn’t be overly disappointed. He should enjoy his retirement.

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan: It doesn’t take anything away from his greatness. He has been one of the best cricketers India have produced. Must have been a huge emotional moment, must have had a sense of anxiety...