It’s been said a million times before. `When to go’ is easily the toughest question in a sportsman’s career.
Everyone has got the answer for the Question they asked Ganguly for the past decade. Finally the cricketing life with numerous u-turns is all set to pause.
My generation needs to brace itself for this exodus.
Hundred on the glorious debut, golden duck in the end .. a rainbow in between. Even Bradman didn’t manage a golden duck for his farewell.
Ganguly had tugged at the heartstrings in a way that no Indian cricketer has before or since. The last few years of his career were like reality TV, with no one able to look away. But like a man who knew the significance of a big occasion – who else would start with a century at Lord’s? – he had saved his best for last.
Of the many things you might accuse Ganguly of, lack of a sense of theatre wasn’t one. Watching Gangles was fun.
Some felt he couldn’t play the bouncer, Millions swore that he was God on the off-side; some laughed at his lack of athleticism, Many took immense pride in his ability to galvanise a side.
Nobody can dispute that he was India’s most successful Test captain – forging a winning unit from a bunch of talented, but directionless, individuals – and nobody can argue about him being one of the greatest one-day batsmen of all time.
A radiant person who is serene and energetic can be remembered as
* A man of instincts and impulses,
* A batsman who combined grace with surgical precision in his strokeplay,
* A Leader who is tough, intuitive and uncompromising.
As captain he was an uplifting figure prepared to stand up for his players. It is easily forgotten that his captaincy started with Indian cricket at its lowest ebb.
Ganguly came to symbolise individualism and rebellion. He predicted Dhoni to become a big player.
His book always had a different story for Sehwag, Bhajji, Yuvi, Kaif and MSD. He is no laughing matter. He is as inspiring as any sports personality. The amazing point was his comeback after 500 days and it will remain in our hearts in our lifetime.
It has been an astonishing career. Some men prefer to follow a predictable path and their stories tell of a slow rise to the top and an equally measured decline. To that end instinct is subdued, contention avoided and risk reduced. That has been altogether too dull for Ganguly. Throughout he has toyed with his fate, tempting it to turn its back on him so that once again he could surprise the world with a stunning restoration. Something in him rebelled against the mundane and the sensible.
He needed his life to be full of disasters and rescues, and comebacks and mistakes and memorable moments. To hell with the prosaic; At heart he is a cavalier, albeit of mischievous persuasion.”The Ganguly situation” was impossible. No answer is a solution; When you want him out of the team, he blazes a century. He has had enough of this short-ball business. Anyone’s Solidarity is no match to Saurav’s Warrior Image.
Btw to remind everyone, Dravid had made the worst decision of his life, setting an example, by stripping off Ganguly; The same knife pointed to him now with no come back. Saurav’s and soon following Sachin’s retirement may mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but for my generation of 25- to 30-year-olds it will mark the end of the first part of our lives. Switching on the television the day after will be a serious challenge.
And now he leaves the scene. Although he has batted with silky serenity in this series, it is the right time to go. A man has only so many struggles in him. A player’s supporters have only so many battles in them. Perhaps in the last few days of his career he has played his part in India’s greatest cricketing feat, the downing of Australia not by miraculous deed but sustained ruthlessness. He deserves. Ganguly has been neither a genius or a saint or a great batsman, but he has served with distinction and leaves Indian cricket in a much better state than he found it. Personally FOR ME, SUN NEVER SETS IN THE SAURAV EMPIRE!……
Here is my word of verdict: Whatever the odd critic might unearth, Dada is without doubt India’s GREATEST son.























