Posted on November 11th, 2008 by Harsh
Like Kumble, Ganguly was also a part of my growing years. I still vaguely and excitedly remember watching him taking off his helmet when he reached his century at Lord’s. In those times, when cable TV was a luxury to have and often considered bad for school-going kids like me, I usually relied on 9 PM DD News to catch those precious footages from the match. In that first Test Match against England, he just came out of nowhere, and it was just Sachin Tendulkar’s dominance that was giving England bowlers some sweat in the earlier part of the series. Not to forget, it was the same match in which Rahul ‘Wall’ Dravid debuted as well, and made a cautious 95, caught behind off Dominick Cork.
My first impression of Ganguly then was not too great. With a pencil moustache and a lean frame he did not look much of a character. Perhaps, I was too young at that time to be judging people on the basis of their appearances (a practice that I have done well to get rid of now). But one thing that made Ganguly a household name at that time was that his innings was stroke-filled and his shots on the off side were nothing less than breathtaking. In the later years, he would be named “God of off side” by another batting great Dravid.
Ganguly the ODI Player
Over the next few months, Dada, as people started knowing him, was also induced into the ODI squad in the era of Jayasuriyas and Slaters when powerplay hitting had just begun. Ganguly who started his ODI career rather unexcitedly would go on to become one of the legends of the shorter format and score hundreds at will. The watershed moment for Ganguly in ODIs came at the World Cup 1999 when he made 183 punctuated with 11 sixes and many fours. Again, it was Dravid, who got overshadowed but scored a handy 153. Hitting Vaas and Murali at will, Ganguly’s fireworks in the game are still remembered fondly.
In the early 2000s, Ganguly became a force to reckon with in the ODIs, and formed a formidable opening partnership with Sachin Tendulkar. Ganguly was one of the early exponents of powerplay hitting and his ability to open and pace innings brought new confidence to the Indian team, especially when chasing big targets on docile Indian subcontinent pitches. One match that is still engraved in my memory is the India-Pakistan final at Dhaka when India successfully chased 316 against the arch-rivals. Ganguly scored 143 in that match, and Tendulkar, just relieved from captaincy, was in sublime touch. He provided the initial thrust by hitting 70-odd is some 40-odd balls. Many such performances followed and soon Ganguly along with emergence of Sehwag became one of the threatening opening batsmen the game had ever seen.
That Ganguly has scored more than 10,000 ODI runs is no surprise, and for me he will always remain the greatest Indian ODI batsman after Sachin Tendulkar and Mohinder Amarnath.
Ganguly the Test Player
Sourav Ganguly’s Test career was not as bright as ODIs. He maintained a modest average of mid 40s throughout when his peers such as Tendulkar and Sehwag averaged consistently in mid and late 50s, and even Sehwag has consistently averaged over 50. His greatest knock I reckon was in the opening Test against Australia in the 2003 series down under, when he stroked an elegant 140-odd set the tone for a competitive series. That he spent most of his Test career batting at no. 5 or 6 did not help his average or talent makes me feel bad for Dada.
Dada had his moments in Test Cricket and always scored at vital moments like in the successful West Indies tour where he always scored when needed and often anchored the tail well. Also, his belligerent strokeplay always helped India finish well. His comeback century against South Africa two years back helped India win their first ever match in SA, although credit would go Sreesanth for swinging out the Proteas.
Ganguly the Captain
However, Ganguly’s greatest contribution to India would be that of as a captain. Nurtured in the era of on your face aggression with the likes of Mark Taylor, Ranatunga and Cronje holding the game of cricket, Ganguly was quick to transform the Indian team from a bunch of givers to a hungry lot of winners. Ganguly often supported youngsters such as Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Zaheer and Sehwag and chose them over more seasoned players, a formula that now Dhoni seems to have adopted. Ganguly’s captaincy produced quick and fruitful result for the Indian cricket, and infused the infectious sense of fearlessness in the team. For long being known as tigers at home, India started winning series outside India, by first conquering Pakistan and then West Indies and England, and then coming tantalizingly close to defeating Australia in 2003.
Ganguly the captain also marched India into the finals of 2003 World Cup, but the embarrassing failure at 2007 ignited his downfall. He was sacked as captain, and Dhoni took over the reins. However, Ganguly will always be applauded and acknowledged for turning around a talented team into a wining team, and the current and future success will always reflect his legacy.
Final words…
Sourav Ganguly, the character that he was, has also left behind some interesting off-field memories. The most unforgettable is certainly when he took his shirt off at Lord’s when India successfully chased 315, courtesy Kaif and Yuvraj’s outstanding batting, after India had lost half the side at 150. He bared once again in the last test yesterday but in a rather subdued manner. Other moments include keeping Steve Waugh waiting for toss in Australia, which the Aussie Great openly mentioned in his autobiography. Also, his spat with Greg Chappell and affair with film actress Nagma add to his colorful life inside and outside the dressing room!
All in all, Ganguly has his name carved in the annals of history and generations to come will look up at him as a man who changed the way Indian played and won…as a man who could only fight and never give up…as a boyish-looking man whose expression matched that of a 12-year-old boy whenever he won a match or took a wicket…as a man who fought till his retirement day!
Have a great life ahead, Dada!
