Apr 19, 2004 05:28 PM
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(Updated Apr 19, 2004 05:30 PM)
Another series, some call it the mother of all battles and we witnessed some trashing of not only of our improving neighboring country but also of Sourav Ganguly’s critics!
There is an old jungle saying that let your work speak- in this case, let the bat and the captaincy speak. And that’s what dada has done. We all have heard of his aggressive personality and captaincy and time and again, we have seen it work for the good our team.
How can we forget Krishmachari Srikant loudmouth some foolish comments which seemed more of a personal (and should I add communal?!) vendetta again our captain and then he soon realized that the incident had made him extremely unpopular not only among the Indian population but also so much in the media that he was on the verge of loosing his job at Sony MAX-DD. We all know that later he called up Sourav and apologized.
At one point of time, Navjot Singh Sidhu was also getting drawn towards the same criticizing mould but later on checked himself and now we find him avoiding commenting much about the Indian captain.
The point I am trying to make, dear readers, is that when a captain performs and produces results for his team, then people who still continue criticize without any concrete evidence and support, tend to form a very poor impression. Ultimately, they have to eat a humble pie and concede their mistake.
A few traits about Sourav Ganguly that I have learnt from various media, which makes him such a successful captain and a popular man in the Indian team, are as follows:
1) His identification of ‘players with potential’- the ones with talent and a big heart. That’s why we see the Kaifs, Yuvrajs, Irfans, Balajis and the Parthivs retained in the team and now living up to the expectations!
2) This guy doesn’t forget or let go any incident and he makes sure to give a fitting reply to his opposition when the time is ripe. Be it against the shrewd Australian captain-Steve Waugh by making him wait and coming late for the toss or by taking off his shirt at the respectful Lord’s dressing room gallery imitating what Flintoff did at the Wankhade stadium! . India never has produced such a aggressive captain ever in the history.
3) He has learnt from his personal experience too at the earliest part of his career. We all know that he didn’t have a great start to his career and then was dropped from the team at a young age and then came back with a bang slamming two consecutive centuries. But not everybody has the courage, tenacity, aggression and the luck factor to do that. This man tried to make life easier for youngsters in the teams by giving them several chances to prove their mettle, which they did ultimately. And we see the results. And dear readers, they now acknowledge Ganguly for his endeavors.
4) Sourav also makes sure to take a collective team decision in consultation with the senior and experienced players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and coach John Wright. Hence it helps in each player being a responsible contributor in the decision making process for the team.
5) Many people from the media and selector Pronob Roy acknowledges that selecting 15 for a series is relatively easy. But the justifications given by Sourav while selecting the final 11 for a match, is amazing! The rationale and reasoning given by the Indian captain are so sound that the selectors have nothing else to say but to agree. And we see the results, which makes every Indian feel proud!
6) He enjoys a very warm and encouraging personality. I recently read an article on the Indians giving a TV interview in a Pakistani news channel. Besides Irfan, Balaji who also made waves, especially among the teenage girls, was interviewed. After the interview Sourav appreciated Balaji by saying that he had give a fine interview inspite of Balaji fumbling and trying to overcome his shyness!
7) And most importantly, with respect to the current series, let us not forget that the amount of responsibility dada was carrying on his shoulders:
a) He had to take care of himself and his team in general with all kinds of security issues
b) He had to take the correct decisions on the field
c) Take care of his own form
d) Win the matches and the series
e) And at the same time, make sure the feeling of friendship was kept intact and if possible more improved because of this cricket series.
Some of us know that after historic win at Lahore- thanks to Kaif-Dravid heroics, Ganguly secretly ventured out in the streets of Lahore at around 2:00 AM at night to have the famous kababs and tandoori chicken, all alone. After some time, a lady pointed out to her husband “Look, that guy looks like a Sourav look-alike”. The husband looked carefully and exclaimed “No, that’s Sourav himself” and soon there was a crowd of men, women and children gathered around him eager to meet and talk to him. Such is the man, full of courage, always ready to reach out to the common man and win hearts.
He is the man who transformed the Indian cricket team into a world beating side. Ricky Ponting now acknowledges that next three years will be all about the competitiveness of the two superpowers in world cricket. One is Australia and the other is, well, need I say- INDIA!
Till next time,
Keep smiling Hindustan, Chhail;-)
