LEGSLIP

Ganguly The Champion

It would be impossible to list Sourav Ganguly’s achievements and his contributions towards the Indian Cricket Team during his 18 years of international career. But, one must admit this man’s courage, creativity and his craftiness in playing a pivotal role in reviving the lost confidence among the players with his astute leadership qualities. In my opinion his overall or all-round capabilities as a batsman, a bowler and a very good captain makes him stand head and shoulders above the rest of the great players that India has produced.

Tendulkar and Ganguly

Where Tendulkar excelled as a batsman, Ganguly was not behind him, when Tendulkar struck the opposition with his bowling, Ganguly was not behind him. When Tendulkar failed as a captain, Ganguly stood ahead of him and showed his class, that is why I rate him better than Tendulkar in his over all contributions to the game of cricket in India.

As a batsman he was a tactician and as a bowler he was crafty and as a captain he was shrewed. Whether people remember it or not, whether they acknowledge this fact or not, when the Indian team was jinxed by Javed Miandad’s sixer in Sharjah they kept on losing against Pakistan for a long, long time. But, it was Sourav Ganguly who came to Pakistan in 2004 and won the ODI and the test series against Pakistan.

In Rome do as the Romans do

Ganguly’s outbursts on and off the field reflects his passion and his emotions for the game of cricket. His batting achievements are not near to Tendulkar’s but they are not mean by any standards. His 11000 plus runs in ODI are third highest. On his test debut he scored a hundred at Lords and not just that he was also known as the spice boy or the hot guy who took off his shirt as a retort to Andrew Flintoff’s earlier stint. Although some of the Indian critics did not appreciate it, but I see there is nothing wrong in giving him a tit for tat.

A partnership breaker

Like I said, it would be hard, rather impossible to pen down every single detail about Ganguly’s contribution that is why we have dedicated this special thread DADA KAY NAAM – EK PAIGHAM. Now, its for you to write your feelings and observations about him and it is up to you to rate him above or equal to Tendulkar. Be fair and be generous to give him the due that he deserves.

Cool behind those glasses?

Despite being victimized by Greg Chappell and the trivial politics that he played to ouster Ganguly, he came back with an even strong grit and determination to prove his worth as a player. In my opinion he is the most successful and accomplished player India has ever produced.

Khansahab analyses India’s record victory against the Aussies…..

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Did we see it coming? Many would say, not. Yet India did seemed to do the unthinkable by beating the Aussies by a margin of 320 runs, which is India’s biggest ever margin of victory in terms of runs.

The noticable aspect of this victory was that we saw a rare team effort from India which completely demoralised the Australian pscyhe. Dhoni’s captaincy deserves special mention, but not for the first time.

Dhoni....the swashbuckling batsman, the brilliant strategist, the consistent performer.....India's shining knight

Mahinder SIngh Dhoni has provided India with a fresh and delicious change which Indian cricket had been finding for more than a decade. Dhoni’s calmness, commitment, professionalism and above all, motivational skills took India to victory against the strongest team in the world. One had to observe and almost celebrate the look of resignation and submission on the face of Ricky Ponting, whose visage was nothing like the usual confidence and brashness it usually exudes.

Never in the past two decades has this question been more appropriately asked- “Is this the end of Australian domination in world cricket?” And never have we felt so compelled to answer in the affirmative.

Amit Mishra exceeded all expectations and bamboozled the Aussies. Mishra seemed to be the essential replacement for Anil Kumble, whose captaincy has come under the scanner and whose bowling seems to have lost its potency. There have been subdued calls for Kumble to quit for over a year, but now it would be the right time for the spinning legend to call it a day.

Kumble needs to do some serious thinking about his future

Mishra has a long way to go for India

In fact, Mishra is not the only competitor for Kumble. Ojha is another spinner who has been knocking the doors of selection for some time and has lost out due to Kumble’s presence. India’s recent successes have been most attributable to the injection of youth; why should the spin department be bereft of talented youngsters? There are already calls to keep Dhoni as captain for the remainder of the series and Kumble is definitely feeling the heat.

Gambhir was effective and showed his good form with a commanding century in the 2nd innings. However, Sachin Tendulkar’s 88 was very special, not because it helped set the momentum of the Indian innings and was scored at an impressive strike rate of almost 80, but because he broke Lara’s record and became the leading run scorer in Tests. Tendulkar’s record breaking seemed to convey a mystical effect to the Indian pysche- it was a feeling of domination, a feeling of conviction and a feeling of genius almost, which actually has epitomised Tendulkar’s batting over the years, but much more so when he was at his enviable peak.

Sachin Tendulkar- a triumph of innate talent, belief, and pure genius

No batsman has played Australia better than Tendulkar has and even though Tendulkar is often criticised for lacking pressure handling skills, it takes a lot of guts and determination to raise your game level against the best in the business. Tendulkar has verily been Australia’s nemesis. For various reasons, Tendulkar is commonly perceived to be the most accomplished batsman in the history of cricket and this fact in itself has helped the Indian team to raise their confidence and feel pride in themselves.

Other than Tendulkar, Ganguly’s superb century also deserves to be applauded. Mishra has already been praised but Harbhajan also deserves mention for his 5 wickets in the test. Indian commentators have always spoken about the need for the whole team to contribute, and this test is a testament to that suggestion. There are many positives to take from this test- where does one begin? The opening was solid, the middle order of Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dhoni clicked and the bowling was penetrative and consistent. It goes without saying that the pair of Zaheer and Ishant complement each other very well and both have a lot of firepower within them, able to rattle any batting line up.

Australia got thumped......

To conclude, this was a memorable test in many respects, not least because of Tendulkar reaching a milestone and the margin of victory. The cricket world is coming to terms with India’s resurgence and Australia’s vulnerability. Every tide has an ebb, and this is surely Australia’s ebb. Australia has been pushed to the ground, but because of the aggressive nature of the Australian psyche and mental strength, the remaining two tests are likely to be competitive.