Nov 25, 2005 11:13 PM
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(Updated Nov 25, 2005 11:25 PM)
Maybe I am writing this review at the wrong time. India have been thrashed by the South Africans at the Mecca of cricket, and defeat always makes one nostalgic. But I want to talk today about Saurav Ganguly... Maybe I am writing the eulogy of the cricketer, maybe I am too much in a hurry to write off the fighter that is Mr. Ganguly.
How can one start describing an icon... From the humble beginnings.. a young maharaja was given out lbw on a fiery Perth wicket, if I was not mistaken, in 1991, and disappeared into oblivion for five years. Then a freak injury to one of the cricketers and the Maharaja was given a chance at the home of cricket, and he responded by hitting one of the most majestic centuries by an Indian. Saurav Ganguly, the cricketer, had arrived.
Through the years, we got used to his wonderful offside play, his temperament and his ATTITUDE. Love him or hate him, India could never ignore him. To any cricket lover, his sixes over the extra cover region to Shaun Pollock, His swinging wickets at Toronto which won him four Man of the Match awards against Pakistan, His partnerships with the little master in one-days will be fresh in the mind. I would not be exaggerating to say he defined Indian cricket in the nineties.
Captainship followed after the match-fixing saga, and he responded wonderfully. His ''shirt-off'' against Andrew Flintoff's England is etched into the echelons of the game. I remember vividly 1998, when he kept the great Steve Waugh waiting for the toss, frustrated the aussies, and captained the most remarkable series win India has ever seen. His century in the first test against the Aussies in 2003 set the tone for a resurgent India.
If you go through the mouth-shut reviews of the man, they are all praise in the older eras... the brickbats come later.
If you are thinking I am a Bengali, or a die-hard fan of Saurav Ganguly, you are wrong. I too love to hate him these days. He doesnt seem to connect bat with ball, and tries too much false bravado to impress. His interview in which he tried to win the sympathy by talking about how his daughter missed seeing him on tv, was pathetic, to say the least. But I believe in giving credit where credit is due.
We Indians are very fickle minded fans. We build temples and throw bricks at the slightest provocation. But, in this game, if you take a long term view, it is essential to send-off your greatest cricketers with the greatest good wishes and heartfelt thanks. Barring Gavaskar, none of the Indian cricketers got the credit he deserved at his exit. Let us be different this time. We killed Kapil's legacy, we threw stones at Shrikant's house when he had led us to an honourable draw in Pakistan, we humiliated Azhar and Jadeja, and so many others. Let us learn from the aussies how to send off their greats. We cheered from our armchairs when Steve Waugh was taking a farewell lap. Let us do the same for Mr. Ganguly. A word of advice to him though...''Retire when people will ask WHY, and not WHY NOT??''
This Indian team has been built by him. Rahul Dravid has been encouraged by him... Bhajji, Yuvraj, Irfan... All are his Proteges...he has hugged them when they have done well and consoled them when they have failed. Now let us console our hero, instead of condemning him on tv channels all the time--These ex-cricketers like Arun Lal, Saba Karim and Maninder Singh are all failures who love to bring a hero down from his Pedestal. Let us be different this time. Indian cricket and all the future heroes deserve a legacy.......
