SOURAV GANGULY TO RETIRE
Dada triumphs at Lord's on Debut - A Century against all odds
***** Sourav bids farewell - an Ode to Ganguly by Victoria-Minerva VM's Random Ramblings
***** In appreciation of Dadaism by Samir Chopra Eye on Cricket
***** My Tribute to Saurav Ganguly by Q Well Pitched.com
One of India's favorite sons, and India's first in the the original "world captain" mould, one of the classiest ever southpaws to have held a bat, Sourav Dada Ganguly "Maharaj" calls it a day.
He will play his final series against Australia and quit after that. Cricketnext.com, Cricinfo
"I have decided to quit. This will be my last Test series"
"I hope I'll end my career with a winning knock"
Sure, Dada, that you will! May you, the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Prince of Calcutta, Sourav Dada Ganguly "Maharaj" rampage among the Australians like Goddess Durga's Tiger! Against the very team which defined and underlined your captaincy and strong character, may you score all the runs you wish to and for us to cherish. May you, against the very team you taught the world to look upon as nothing more than equals, eye to eye, end your career in brilliant glory.
***** Goodbye Sweet Prince by Homer My two cents
***** Are you Unforgiven II by Ankit All Padded Up
***** Ganguly announces his retirement by Ottayan In the Name of Cricket
There will be more Dada from this Indian cricket watcher who admired the difference you made to India. Today you have a Dhoni who doesn't back off, or a BCCI which doesn't cower and mumble under the gaze of those who had made it a habit making many an Indian cricketer so. There will be more, a proper celebration of Saurav Ganguly, The God of the Off-side.
***** The Long Ganguly Goodbye - Part I by Aju JohnIsland Express
***** Not even TADA can stop Dada by Gaurav Sethi Naked Cricket
***** I’ll sithee, Sourav by AP WebsterSpunOut
***** An Ode to Dada: from a not so satisfied fan Straight Points
The man who led Indian cricket out of the quagmire of mediocrity, controversy, division and disrespect, with rare vision, ruthlessness, self-belief and understanding gentleness when needed, he transformed the self-image of India like not even Nawab MAK Pataudi "The Noob" could. The mercurial superman, Kapil Dev, could do it only for a brief season or two. That is the main contribution of Sourav Ganguly to Indian cricket. Of course some would argue for his off-side play or the cleanest, most effortless, most elegant six-hitting ever seen in cricket....I'll not contest those either.
Sourav Ganguly hangs his boots by Suneer Chowdhary The Cricket Fan Club
***** Shocked! by Buzz Arm Ball
There certainly will be more of Dada right through this series....may you, the last captain of India to have held aloft the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, help India wrest back the trophy.
Steve Waugh on Ganguly
"He (Ganguly) was... constantly bickering over the nature of pitches and trying to influence the groundsmen in India. To me, this wasn't too different from match-fixing, because captains who try this on are attempting to alter the conditions in collusion with a force they shouldn't be tampering with."
"I was "wound up" by Ganguly's continued petulance in being late for the toss and then walking off by himself."
"I saw in Sourav a committed individual who wanted to inject some toughness and combativeness into a side that had often tended in the past to roll over and expose a soft underbelly."
Steve Waugh in Out of My Comfort Zone, 2005
"You don't have to like or dislike him. You have to respect him."
"He's tough and has played for a long time. There are certain things that rub people up the wrong way but that's just him."
"I think there were times when he pushed it a bit far with the toss. It was not only myself. The match referee warned him a number of times not to do it and he continued to do it. That was a lack of respect. But that was his choice fair enough. That's dead and buried now. But as a player he certainly is a very good and it's a credit to him the way he has come back,"
"He has fought hard to get back in there and he is probably batting as well as he has ever batted."
"That's great resilience, great resistance and that's a good example to the younger players. "He's the type of bloke you would want to have on your side. When you see an Indian side with Ganguly in the line-up, you know it's game on."
Steve Waugh a few days before the Boxing Day test match, 2007.
"He (Ganguly) was... constantly bickering over the nature of pitches and trying to influence the groundsmen in India. To me, this wasn't too different from match-fixing, because captains who try this on are attempting to alter the conditions in collusion with a force they shouldn't be tampering with."
"I was "wound up" by Ganguly's continued petulance in being late for the toss and then walking off by himself."
"I saw in Sourav a committed individual who wanted to inject some toughness and combativeness into a side that had often tended in the past to roll over and expose a soft underbelly."
Steve Waugh in Out of My Comfort Zone, 2005
"You don't have to like or dislike him. You have to respect him."
"He's tough and has played for a long time. There are certain things that rub people up the wrong way but that's just him."
"I think there were times when he pushed it a bit far with the toss. It was not only myself. The match referee warned him a number of times not to do it and he continued to do it. That was a lack of respect. But that was his choice fair enough. That's dead and buried now. But as a player he certainly is a very good and it's a credit to him the way he has come back,"
"He has fought hard to get back in there and he is probably batting as well as he has ever batted."
"That's great resilience, great resistance and that's a good example to the younger players. "He's the type of bloke you would want to have on your side. When you see an Indian side with Ganguly in the line-up, you know it's game on."
Steve Waugh a few days before the Boxing Day test match, 2007.
From the man who bore the brunt of Ganguly more than anyone else, including in his farewell match and series in 2004-05. The man even turned the mindgames on the originators successfully! And so from Tugga's tribute we move on...
One down, four to go by Sumit Chakraberty Cricketkeeper
Proud of his achievements: Kapil, and other reactionsThe Telegraph, Calcutta
Times of India
India Today
33 comments:
A fine career coming to an end. Sourav's contribution to Indian cricket is beyond the runs he scored. He really led like a tiger and kept the opposition on the toes all the time. He knew how to win and where to hit to hurt the opposition camp.
I have always liked his attitude though at time it bordered arrogance. His shirt waving act at Lords is one that I will remember for the message it conveyed. I will remember his six hitting in ODIs. I will remember his over the top swatting off pace men. And I will also remember his brilliant off-side play.
Sachin and Dravid are better batsmen but Sourav bridged the gap with his leadership qualities something that the other two failed in. In my view all three stand on equal footing when it comes to their contributions to Indian cricket. No less, no more.
Thanks Sourav for all that you gave us. Well done.
While being very much a traditionalist, Saurav broke from the past as it was decreed or imagined, or made to imagine.
There was not an ounce of showmanship or bravado when he looked up and into the eyes of the world...it was ntural, like the way it was supposed to be according to nature...nothing about the spirit was contrived. It wasn't a show of confidence but confidence which showed through in an unadulterated manner.
There was nothing arrogant about his non-servility, there was nothing fake, there was nothing which had to be summoned and propped up....servility wasn't known....and it shocked the orthodox aura of cricket to realize that here was the real deal...the real threat to imposed illusions...not just someone's entertaining exuberance within the decreed framework...but the spirit which resets those familiar frameworks, which removes those comforting framework which held the world of cricket in a most comfortably familtr order. This framework-chopper, by the very act of actually removing the stiff constraints, toppled the order and let loose the true powers of people who were made to imagine otherwise. It was no longer cool to be a brown sahib as much as it was cool to be simply a sahib...an Indian Sahib from the marrow up. The game of sahibs acquired a new meaning...
Men became loyal unto themselves and those who fought alongside them under Dada's tenure. For the first time since that brief summer of '83 a nation began to recognize and adopt its identity...unapologetically. Sportsmanship no longer became the canvas tent to hide mediocrity, fear, disunity and inferior complexes in. Sportsmanship acquired a new meaning...to compete hard, with confidence, with conviction, with self-belief, with unity, with purpose, with tangible goals....India turned Indian, India truly turned professional under Dada's influence.
Definitely, yes.
I would have liked to see Saurav go when he was at his best, but this is his choice.
He is a fighter, and a great manipulator.
I think he ranks number one as the one who was more a media image, we don't really know what he is like. Gavaskar cultivated the media, but he could never cover up his snootiness, it was that loud.
Saurav has a great career ahead of him in the commentary box, alongside Gavaskar, with whom he shares many characteristics.
Good luck to him.
When Sourav was picked for 1991/92 Aus season media was crying foul and claimed that he was in because of quota. He failed to impress on that tour and was not to be seen for 5 long years. When he failed on that tour I thought he would never make a come back like many other cricketers whose selections was termed as quota selections. But then he was Saurav Ganguly and not just any other ordinary cricketer.
It's a credit to the man who made it big and become one of the icons of Indian cricket after that forgettable start in 1991/92. Hats off to him.
Hi Baskar,
We know and judge only from the public persona unless one actually knows the public figure. Sometimes we trust news sources.
Looking at what various captains achieved over long periods of time objectively, and in what manner, all one can see of Saurav is one who did things differently. He achieved something substantial from nothing...from a morass...he created the bar first and then raised it for subsequent captains. First and foremost, he got the team together as one.
It is notable that even the great inquestionale Sachin faltered and gave up around that time.
Sourav was a leader who did, not by divide and rule or favouring but by uniting as one.
Ganguly confirms kidnap threat to his daughter
I read somewhere that a deal was done...I hope it wasn't for this.
SB when I saw Ganguly announcing his retirement, two things caught my attention.
1. Ganguly looked up to his left and hurriedly announced his retirement. That to me was bit strange. You can understand if he is bit choked or struggling for words. But the hurry was bit unusual. It didn't look like he was announcing his own decision.
2. "...hopefully WE will go out on a winning note". Now that 'WE' is interesting. There could be some credence to all the VRS story floating around.
Now if this VRS story is true, then that's nonsense. As Harsha Bhogle put it in express, every cricketer has the right to think he has it in him to play and the selector has the prerogative to judge whether the player still has it. This VRS is bit irritating. What if Ganguly scores big at Bangalore?
Drop people if they don't deserve and they don't call it quits. Or be professional in the way you handle players like CA. Time BCCI learn to act professional.
I wouldn't make much of it. Blogs and news channels are saying there are things in the background...obviously there will be, for will there not be discussions about the future and disclosure of their minds? Dravid being honored with an ornamental wall is also an indication of the direction.
I just hope people don't make too much of fuss over this...unfair fuss. It's almost like damned if you don't retire, damned if you do. Sometimes I don't know what it is with Indians who cannot respect their achievers and simply love to shred them or weave controversies around them. I don't know...maybe they see themselves as being fair in doing so or maybe it is just that an Indian cannot appreciate another Indian other than himself/herself.
hey, I don't mean you Bala!...please do not mistake it so...I was watching a debate over Ganguly on one of the channels as I was typing...Indians can be one hell of ch@@ts when it comes to such things...we love to ause and berate those who have achieved amongst us. Do we even achieve half as much in our own fields? If you do then fine...
Sorry man, had to get it off but is not directed at you. It's the effect of TV discussion.
At least when the guy has retired, just say something nice and let him go...after all it isn't that he hasn't given you anything to cherish...has he not drawn that path in the barren land which is now shaping up to be a smooth superhighway?
No offense taken SB, certainly not.
SB, beautifully written, as always. Love the way you call him Sourav Dada Ganguly "Maharaj". Sounds like the announcement of the arrival of a King, which is so fitting.
@Balajhi, as for the press conf, no, it didn't really sound like him. There was something that seemed unnatural to me. I really doubt if he would have left now, by himself.
sb - i really like that picture, and that it's B&W. And that Dravid is there, not nearly in the background, but almost alongside. That was a different time in Indian cricket, sir.
Reckon, this series will see one innings from Dada, all adrenalin. Might even be the first test, a la Brisbane. And the legend will grow, even greater than the batsman.
A tribute to a true hero, this article!
"Ganguly looked up to his left and hurriedly announced his retirement. That to me was bit strange. You can understand if he is bit choked or struggling for words. But the hurry was bit unusual. It didn't look like he was announcing his own decision."
SD, He must have decided to retire but from whichever direction you look, he wouldn't like that decision to retire and be the 1st among the golden oldies to retire.
You have Kumble who is 38 and doesn't look to be retiring anytime soon. Nobody is asking Dravid to retire, Sachin ocassionally makes passing comments that he wants to play in the 2011 World Cup.
Though this may be his own decision to retire, he would definitely feel restless when he reminds himself of the truth that he is the 1st among them to retire.
I found a picture that is symbolic of what I am talking about. [excuse me as most of you may not understand what is written in this article]
1 wicket down http://www.eenadu.net/panelhtml.asp?qrystr=htm/panel11.htm
Yes VM that's what I too felt but I think SB is right. Now that he announced the decision we should allow him to play out remaining tests in his career with a peace of mind and appreciate all that he is given to us. Good work Saurav.
I think I was bit hasty with my comment above. This is a post celebrating the cricketer who served the Indian cricket and just announced the retirement. My comment was totally unwarranted. Sorry guys. Let's focus on Saurav's contribution to Indian cricket. Sorry SB.
Bala..., I think I came in sounding funny. I saw the clip again...there were plenty of people talking from all sides and something from perhaps an organizer or the PC said caught Saurav's attention. Maybe it was to suggest that time was running out for the PC.
Please express yourelf freely and without fear here Bala...c'mon we've been through worse before and you know it is only now that I have to begun to take a more mature view on Gangs! :) My irritation was to a TV debate/reporter on one of the channels who was using a tone and language which one felt was quite needless. The man has said he's going...that's what everyody wanted...but the media has to take a dig. On top of that I came off a reading in the webworld of blogs...some were downright nasty and you can imagine where they came from.
Yenks, that's a telling graphic. Someday soon it will be five down.
I certainly hope he can get one in, Gaurav. You can bet your bottomest Australian dollar that the Ozzies will try to make it extra tough for him. A kind of quid pro quo for what he did to Steve Waugh in his final series and their midgame-domination and their general antipathy for anyone who can stand up to them.
If they do that, hopefully they lose focus...and Ganguly would yet again have done a great service to India by drawing away the pack from the team.
I really hope they go after Gangs, Gaurav, and he comes out of it winning on all fronts.
Victoria, I understand his contribution and method of that contribution much better in a historically comparaitive way for having read Satadru's Migrant Races. This man, Saurav, is the truest prince of all.
I wish he scores ton after ton against the Aussies!
a very well written and extensively covered post SB!!
hope he goes with his chin up and smiling...
though bit late...i have also expressed my two cents thru my post...
Your two cents have been appreciated SP! :)
Hello Q,
I hope he is able to contribute to a series win over Australia before retirement and get back that Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
sb, appreciating heroes is one thing, but not when they overstay their tenure, deny opportunity to deserving new talent, and deny fans the joy of victory. so i remain a former dada fan. but i wouldn't grudge him a nice century to sign off, for old time's sake.
I checked on you and DNA first, Sumit - where were you? :)
A wonderful tribute to an outstanding leader of men, SB....
But, at the risk of offending those who idolise Ganguly, isn't it fair to say that while he was an outstanding captain, his batting was not as consistent as it should have been?
No offense in that Mikey...that's facts!
And hey, did you forget that you come face-to-face with a Dada-ist here? (laugh)
I value the positives he contributed to the Indian game of cricket. They were required, not present before, and timely. People say he could do it bvecause he could - well, I ask them, show me one guy who can stop Sachin from doing anything in this country? He couldn't do it when he ascended to the position from which he could. It is not to say anything about sachin...we just have no comparator after Azza and Rahul benefitted from what Sourav had laid down.
His negatives are many and I haven't shirked from them...but the positive contribuions were invaluable and a novelty.
None of the big-talkers then and now could/can do what Sourav did...sometimes you have to become an Indian, get inside the skin of Indians, to realize what he achieved! We are strange people at most times and even stranger at some times - to succeed and develop a sense of order and commitment in this almost schizophrenic milieu is nothing less than magical...
He was a fighter and through his leadership he brought aggression in Indian cricket something which was missing in Indian cricket before him.
Thanks, SB!
I thought Ganguly imbued his team with a fighting temperament abroad. Before him, India were tigers at home, but pussycats aboard. He instilled a fighting spirit in the Indian team....
But his batting disappointed. He was not consistent enough, and seemed vulnerable to genuine pace. A Test batting average of just 41 is disappointing, compared to the other members of the Fab Four. Especially when you consider that more than half of his Tests were played on the subcontinent.
My Favorite Ganguly Moments: http://www.wellpitched.com/2008/10/my-tribute-to-saurav-ganguly.html
That's what even Inzi said, Wasim. India may have had its moments before ganguly became skipper, but there was something which changes tangibly during his tenure. India may yet struggle to win, but it is different. It finds it that much more difficult to smile after losing.
Batting was terribly inconsistent. Mikey, I don't know how many times I would be upset at ganguly for not having applied himself more. Later, he failed us the game he charmed us with in the early part of his career.
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