Glamorgan v Sussex

"I enjoy the British conditions," he said ahead of his Glamorgan debut against Sussex in Swansea on Wednesday.

"I did pretty well in my Test debut in the 1996 series in England, then when I came back in 2002, and I had an outstanding World Cup here in 1999."

Glamorgan have decided to use Ganguly to bat at number five in county cricket and as an opener in the one-dayers.

"Sourav's a special cricketer, everyone knows what he can do at the highest level," said Glamorgan captain Robert Croft.

"He'll score a lot of runs and will also pass on his experience to the youngsters coming through."

I was in England for a family holiday and was going to go to Paris for the French Open, but when this chance came I said I'd love to do it Sourav Ganguly

The Welsh county hope 31-year-old Ganguly's class will help reverse their Championship fortunes, having lost all five Division One fixtures so far this season.

"It will be a challenge after a poor start, but I'm very happy to be part of a young team," Ganguly told BBC Sport Wales.

"There'll be a lot of expectation, but I've been around for 10 years, I'm an established international cricketer and I have to put the performances on the board."

Ganguly, a left-handed batsman and medium-pace bowler with 82 Tests and 271 one-day internationals to his name, revealed that he had never been to Wales before and that the Glamorgan call came as quite a surprise.

"I was in England for a family holiday and was going to go to Paris for the French Open, but when this chance came I said I'd love to do it," he said.

"I only had a tourist visa and had to fly to Brussels to sort out a working one, and now I'm in Wales for the first time.

"I have played against a few of the guys like David Hemp, Alex Wharf and Robert Croft and it's just great to have the chance to play in this country again."