The man, who led the team like a commander on the field, passed his own aggression to whole team, forged a winning combination, backed his team at any cost and as a result the whole nation danced at India’s success but kept quiet when that man needed their support most.
Remembering Sourav, Dada: “Why always me? Not others?”
It is very easy to say he is just another captain on the road for India, but it was very tough to even write what he has achieved as captain. Right from the way he united the team and bought back the success to that nation after that big match fixing scandal is just great on his part. We are going to see the reaction made by Ganguly after retirement looking back on his career in this article.
After being stripped off from captaincy and dropped from the team, Sourav Ganguly said “Whatever said and done, in a captain field it’s the captain who always going to run the show. Those incidents were not only an eye opener for me in sport but an eye opener for me in my life”, referring to Chappell theory of no star system and the boss is coach always.
In fine morning of September 2006, Vengasakar elected as chief chairman of selectors who immediately gave the comeback card for Sourav on the South Africa tour. There were lots said and written about him on bouncy tracks, so he had a point to prove both to his critics and the man who dropped him. Sourav went on to play a superbly composed knock on his comeback innings to which Sachin described “The best I have seen him bat”. Sourav yet again made great comeback on his career as he ended the SA tour as India’s highest run scorer.
“When I went to South Africa, when I boarded the flight, I spoke to myself that I might get hit which I would on this quick wickets, I might break an arm, break a finger, I might get killed but I come back series scoring runs”, Sourav on how he mentally prepared for SA tour.
After that he went on to play the world cup 2007 which is disastrous, but had good England tour. Sourav then scored his first ever double century in his career against Srilanka and ended the year has the joint leading scorer. But soon after that controversial Australian test series, he was dropped from ODI team again. Sourav then had poor series against Srilanka which many thought this his last but selectors gave him another chance against Australia in India. Just days before the first test, Sourav said this will be his last series and ended his career in Nagpur on the fourth and last match of the series. Sourav scored 1991 runs at an average of 47 which is five better than his career average from 25 test matches.
“It’s a hard thing to say, I don’t want to play for India anymore when that’s the thing you love, passion and want to do but I was not happy with the way I got treated in Irani Trophy as I had outstanding two years averaging 50. If anybody has to go, it was me at first and I don’t understand why, when there are other players who hadn’t even scored even half the runs I scored in last 2 years. I felt that, I was being judged series by series which is not the case with others and I didn’t want to play cricket in that atmosphere” – Sourav Ganguly on his retirement.
Sourav career is lesson for many cricketers and inspiration to all Indians. The fight he showed, the aggression in it is what made him the India’s best captain. He might have retired but he still remains the prince of Indian cricket.
If India needed his aggression to a win a match before, then they are going to need lot more of it to defend the No. 1 title in coming years.
Tags: Cricketer, Dada, India, Indian Cricket, SA, Sourav Ganguly, South Africa
