Sourav prefers bat to chef's hat

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">KOLKATA: Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has put all speculations to rest. The captain has finally decided to retain his helmet and abandon the chef''s hat. <br /><br />"My agent had suggested starting a restaurant pre-World Cup, which then seemed like a good idea. But in the months that followed I was so caught-up with training and gearing up for the World Cup, and later the Cup itself that everything else took a back seat. Later it just fizzled out." <br /><br />Sourav laughs when told that there have been reports that the Kolkata outlet is almost ready. <br /><br />"Really," he asks amused, and beckons his buddies. "Ask them, they are from Kolkata." <br /><br />"<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Mera </span>restaurant <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">khulnevala hai</span>. I have to cut the ribbon!" Bengali babu cracks up. <br /><br />“You can’t blame anyone, everyone is looking for their 15 seconds of fame. Any way, now I want to make it clear that there is no restaurant." <br /><br />And Sourav Ganguly Percept D’Mark (SGPDM) is disbanded. Remember the joint venture that was meant to work on the business model of cricket and entertainment tie-up with cricketing giants worldover, conceptualise properties and most importantly, fulfill Sourav’s dream of setting up cricket academies for youngsters? In a very rare mood Sourav abandons his stereotypical shyness, often mistaken for arrogance. <br /><br />"I’d started the company knowing that I’d have no time for it apart from the initial conceptualisation. I was clear that I’d overview it after a year, which when I did, I realised that my not being around was showing and so opted out." <br /><br />After the great innings at the World Cup, Sourav is enjoying being at home. <br /><br />"Cal too is experiencing heavy rains. Days are spent training and, if grounded at home, watching football, courtesy East Bengal’s great innings." <br /><br />Sourav has just added another brand to his endorsements. And for the past two days he has been shooting in Mumbai under ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar’s direction. It’s a ''Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger'' kind of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">avtar</span> that Kakkar has conjured for a commercial. And daddy''s darling is already out shopping with mom. Little Sanna shopping? <br /><br />"She’s grown up, eighteen months old," he smiles.</div> </div>