Sourav Ganguly: The Prince and his glorious 43 years!
Ganguly has had his share of ups and downs, typical of the life of any cricketer, but what has separated him and his now 43 years from that of others is the sheer belief in himself to perform beyond human capabilities.
A natural stroke player who dedicated every bit of himself in gathering a team out of the bits and pieces that he was provided with, turned out to be India's guiding light in arguably their toughest spell.
Here is a look at one of the greatest journeys in world cricket.
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Sourav Ganguly has had his share of ups and downs, typical of the life of any cricketer, but what has separated him and his now 43 years from that of others is the sheer belief in himself to perform beyond human capabilities.
A natural stroke player who dedicated every bit of himself in gathering a team out of the bits and pieces that he was provided with, turned out to be India's guiding light in arguably their toughest spell.
Here is a look at one of the greatest journeys in world cricket. -
As a child, Sourav showed keen interest in football; his cricketing skills were always considered second to his brother Snehasish. While at a very young age, cricket for Ganguly just used to be a reason of staying away from his home and studies. Though he was never a bad student, his interest in sports always overwhelmed all other activities.
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Sourav Ganguly's career started out of his ability to question himself. After seeing his brother attain great local appreciation, Sourav asked himself the question that why could he not play cricket. The answer unfolded in the coming years which saw him making an appearance in the Ranji Trophy final at the Eden Gardens against Delhi, at the expense of his very own brother.
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The exclusion of Ganguly immediately provoked the thought of Team India's inability to gamble on another youngster in a side which already had Sachin in it. His exclusion was soon forgotten, but the man instead was staging first of his the many comebacks he made in almost a two-decade long career.
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The Eden Gardens have always embraced the Prince of Kolkata and coincidently it was the legendry stadium that triggered an opening in the national side. In the World Cup semi final in 1996, the Indian side crumbled in front of a powerful Sri Lankan bowling line-up, the Indian team needed a breath of fresh air; something that Dada brought along with him.
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Dada was an instant success in the first Test against England; while chasing a first innings score of 344, Ganguly scored a 131 run-innings which put England on the back foot. His flamboyance pleased even more than his score, proving to be an indication of things to come. Ganguly himself claims that the mindset that he had during that innings is unmatched even after 16 years.
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Team India's Toronto tour was a career-defining moment for Ganguly. Performing exceedingly well with the bat and the ball, Ganguly won four consecutive man of the match awards. He soon became the spine of India's middle order and more than just a part-timer while bowling.
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Sourav went on to score over 400 runs in the tournament, with the most significant of innings coming against Sri Lanka. He scored a mammoth 183 runs to put the islanders out of contention for the Super Six stage. The match also ended the career of the 1996 World Cup winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.
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Sourav's showcase as a captain includes the incredible series win against the Aussies in 2001, the draw in their own courtyard Down Under, the NatWest series win and an ODI and Test series win in Pakistan. It seemed like Sourav had imparted his Never-Say-Die spirit on to Team India.
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In Australia's 2001 Indian tour, Sourav Ganguly tainted his image to some extent. In one instance, while the scheduled toss was supposed to take place, Ganguly made opposition captain Steve Waugh wait for him in the middle. Ganguly however, later justified that the delay was not intended and said that he was late because his coat was not ready.
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The only thing that would hurt Sourav would be missing out on a possible World Cup triumph. In 2003, Team India, led by Sourav, won 9 out of their 10 matches to reach the final where they met the mighty Australians. Ricky Ponting and Damien Martin scored scintillating centuries knocking out all chances that India had. Some believed that the decision to bowl was wrong, Ganguly stands by it till date.
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Though India lost the chance to claim the World Cup, it seemed a different outfit altogether in Ganguly's leadership. A side that put up shallow performances now seemed like a force to reckon giving birth to an array of stars in the process which included Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan singh, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag.
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Ganguly's fall came as a shocking turn of events. While coming down to the ground in Zimbabwe, he had a rift with coach Greg Chappell, who told him that he was not fit to lead the side. Ganguly was dropped from the side in the coming days and Rahul Dravid was made India's captain.
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Ganguly eventually retired in the home series against Australia in 2008. He was such a great personality that even his duck in the final innings earned him laurels comparing him to the great Sir Donald Bradman who had fallen on nought in his final innings as well.
