SOURAVISM........More than Cricketism: GANGULY - ALWAYS A SAVIOR FOR THE INDIAN CRICKET

Sunday, May 18, 2008

GANGULY - ALWAYS A SAVIOR FOR THE INDIAN CRICKET

Year 1996.

After Navjot Singh Sidhu, players like V Rathour, S Somasunder, A. jadeja and Nayan Mongia were tried as the partners of Sachin Tendulkar for the opening slot in ODIs. India was facing an accute shortage of a good opener at that time.

Then came Sourav Ganguly, who was dropped from the team after giving only a chance to him in 1992 and was accused for many non cricketing stuffs. A half century in his very first ODI match as an opener provided India the man they were searching for. Sachin and Sourav as openers proved themselves to best opening partners in the world. Later one was called THE GOD OF THE CRICKET and another THE GOD OF THE OFFSIDE. This left hand right hand combination was among the deadliest combos in the World Cricket and was no doubt the fear factor for World's any bowling line up. They were truly the "AWESOME TWOSOME" and are now again back to the business together on opening slot after Virender Sehwag being dropped from the side. A partnership that began its golden journey in late 1996 became undoubtedly the best opening pair in the history of World Cricket that spans over three decades.
Sourav along with Sachin took India from a shortage to records. A guy who once was neglected by the selectors became the savior of the Indian Cricket when India was really struggling with the shortage of an ODI opener.

Year 2000.

India lost five tests in a row under Sachin ( 3 in Australia against Aussies and 2 in India against RSA ). Sachin stepped down from the captainship. Media reported the groupism in the Indian Team with many senior players in the team. Again a LEADER was needed to set all these problems.
Then again came Sourav Ganguly. He was elected as the Indian Captain to succeed Sachin Tendulkar when he stepped down from the captainship. Sourav played with three ex captains (Azahar, Jadeja and Sachin) and the reportedly called South Lobby (Srinath, Venkatesh and Kumble) under him but he managed it all beautifully well and won the ODI series against RSA by 3-2.
But this

was not the end for the problems in Indian Cricket. The match fixing scandal thrashed Indian Cricket into pieces and India had to lose many senior players. Kapil too left the post of coach after the scandal.
Again India was in a big trouble and after the loss of many senior players, all the responsibility to build a completely new team was on the shoulders of Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly.
Then again with the kiwi coach John Wright, Sourav rebuilt the indian cricket team and changed it into TEAM INDIA which was known for its never say die and always fighting attitude. Sourav fought with selectors for youngsters like Yuvi, Bhajji and Veeru for their positions in the team. Sourav lead this TEAM INDIA to the finals of two ICC Championships and then finally to the WORLD CUP-2003 finals.Again it was Sourav who as captain became the savior of Indian Cricket and took the team from lows to great heights. Many of the cricket experts declared the team lead by Sourav (THE TEAM INDIA) as the best ever Indian Cricket Team.

Year 2006.

Sourav was not in the team as he was again

dropped accusing him for a lot of non cricketing stuffs like his policy to "divide n rule".
The young Indian team set a record of continuous 17 wins chasing the target. Everybody forgot Sourav at that time as the team was doing great. But again most of those wins were in Indian Subcontinent. But true picture of the Indian Cricket Team became clear when they had to play outside the subcontinent. Continuous defeats in WI, DLF Cup, ICC Championship in home

and then in South Africa. Again Indian Cricket needed someone to save them and then again Sourav was called back. And as a result India again started winning and Sourav became the scriptor of most of the wins. They won test in RSA, won ODI series aginst WI and SL, WC was an exception but sourav performed there too, and now again the test win in England.
Sourav became the savior for the Indian Cricket Team.
He was insulted again and again by the cricket board, was dropped again and again accusing him of many non cricketing stuffs but still it was always Sourav Ganguly who brought the glories to Indian Cricket everytime. He repeated the history everytime. Few people call him the good luck for the team. Whatever it may be but he truly is the SAVIOR OF THE INDIAN CRICKET.

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IMPORTANCE OF SOURAV

Well, I can write pages about the importance of Sourav Ganguly. Sourav is not only the most elegant left hander India has ever produced, but also, the most successful Indian captain till date, who has brought us many glorious victories,by his agressive leadership. He is one of the best lefties of recent times, and his shots on the off side, and his cover drives are simply a wonder to look at. He is an useful medium pacer who is capable of breaking partnerships.But the thing which I find most outstanding about the "Bengal Tiger" is his never say die atitude and undaunted courage.He has been wrongfully sacked from the team time and again, but he still had the will to continue. He taught us that perseverance is essential for success, and his comeback to the national team was truly inspiring. Sourav has the guts to protest against wrongs, which often led him to many controversies. But inspite that none was able to restrain him,because the prince of Kolkata is a charismatic, and a committed cricketer. There are many importances of Sourav Ganguly, but to me the most important of all is that he is our dear dada, who has taught us the most valuable lesson in life-to fight and not to surrender no matter how tough the job may be.

Sourav Ganguly - In Brief

Sourav Ganguly, the name itself encapsulates a thousand stories, starts a hundred debatable topics, reminds you of a story that holds more twists and turns than any soap opera. Dada, as he is affectionately called, captained Team India from 2000 to 2005, and during that tenure led India to incredible success including the finals of the 2003 World Cup. In a career laden with achievements and controversy, Saurav Ganguly has occupied the centre stage in Indian cricket for over a decade. But more than anything, its his batting that really captivates any fan.One of the cleanest strikers and sweetest timers of the ball, Saurav Ganguly is an exceptional player of the off side. So much so, that his successor as captain, Rahul Dravid, once commented, On the off side, first there is God, then there is Ganguly. There isn’t an attack that he has not mercilessly slaughtered, no gap in the field that he hasn ot found. And he has amassed 18000 runs in the process, and his partnerships with Tendulkar are the stuff of legends. The fastest to 6000, 7000, 8000 and 9000 runs in ODIs, the Prince of Calcutta has many records to his credit. But more than the statistics, it is the sheer joy of watching the Bengal tiger in all his glory, that is worth mentioning. Just bring on the off-spinner in front of Ganguly in form, and he pounces on the chance. He steps to the pitch of the ball and hits a clean blow straight out of the ground, a shot which has now become his trademark.The rise of Ganguly to prominence has been as exciting as his batting. Cricket was not his first love, and he only took to the sport as a pastime. He used his brothers equipment, who was a lefty, so he turned into a left handed batsman as well. And when he started excelling in the sport, further drama followed in the Ganguly household as his inclusion into the Ranji squad was at the cost of his brother’s place. He didn’t let them down however, and was soon selected into the national squad. And he flopped badly to spend the next few years in anonymity. But not being one to step back ever, he finally found a place in the Indian squad in the 96 tour of England. What followed was a century on debut and in his second match. Saurav Ganguly had made a mark on world cricket and was here to stay. The following years saw him rise to the top of world cricket, with an average of 40+ and many memorable knocks like the 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup. What added to Ganguly’s utility was his handy work with the ball as well. A gentle medium pacer, he has hundred ODI wickets and many feel he could have done a lot better in that department.An aggressive character on field, he was finally made captain of team India in 2000. And he was just the kind of Captain that a youthful side trying to emerge from the shadows of match fixing needed. His fire and determination spread through the team and he led team India to unprecedented success. Wins in away test series, a run of 13 consecutive finals of tournaments, Champoions trophy and World Cup finals followed. The image of a jubilant Ganguly swinging his shirt from the Lords balcony as India won the Natwest Trophy is a part of cricketing folklore. He presented the team with character and a will to fight, a will that often led him into trouble with match officials and kept him wrapped in controversy always.But his personal form declined over the years and he was often criticized for being unable to play the short ball. After many failures, and public fall outs with coach Greg Chappell, he was unceremoniously dropped from the side and his career looked over.But yet again, after a 15 month lay off, the Prince of Calcutta roared back to grab a man of the series award in his return series in Feb 07,and a beautiful double century against pakistan in dec 2007. A Padma Shri and Arjuna awardee, Ganguly is known to be a quiet man with nerves of steel. A devoted husband and a religious person, his marriage with wife Dona is no less eventful than any Hindi movie.He once again looks ready to shine, to mark his territory and as always, and to provide a solid answer to all those who ever doubted his abilities. No matter how he fairs, one thing is for certain, that there is a lot many chapters to be written in the amazing tale of our beloved Dadaa.