In a class of his own

Loathe him for his faults or admire him for his talent, Sourav Ganguly is bound to be missed, writes S. Dinakar.

His has been an eventful career of highs and lows, despair and conquest. Sourav Ganguly has scaled peaks, found himself at the bottom.

It has been a compelling journey for the man they call Dada. While the issue of fitness has tormented him, an indomitable spirit has been his greatest ally.

He has had his differences with the authorities, and a run-in with a famous coach made headlines. Importantly, he returned from a major banishment as a better player.

Sourav Ganguly’s rather dramatic international career will conclude after the on-going series against Australia. The timing of the announcement from one of cricket’s finest timers of the ball — a day before the eve of the first Test in Bangalore — surprised many.

Several speculations about the fate of the senior cricketers —transition being the key word — were doing the rounds and the 36-year-old former India captain decided to end his international career.

“I have an announcement to make,” Ganguly said. He then added: “This will be my last series.”

Ganguly’s words, during what was meant to be a routine press conference, betrayed a feeling of hurt. From his perspective, he was right. After all, he had, from the time of his comeback against South Africa at the Wanderers, scored more runs — 1667 runs — than any other Indian batsman during the period. Barring the series in Sri Lanka, he had been among the runs. “Why me, all the time,” he seemed to ask.

The viewpoint — compulsions of building a side for the future and finding replacements before it gets too late — led to his omission from the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy.

The new set of selectors, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth, handed Ganguly a lifeline. By then, Ganguly had made up his mind.

One or more of the men in waiting — Subramanium Badrinath, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Kaif — could get a fling later in the season.

Questions will be asked about the timing of Ganguly’s announcement ahead of a major Test series and the impact it could have on the rest of his team-mates. Will it prove a distraction ahead of the campaign against Australia?

India skipper Anil Kumble affirmed Ganguly’s decision would not adversely affect the players’ morale. The team stayed focussed, he said.

Is Ganguly’s decision to retire the start of similar announcements from some of the other senior cricketers during the year? Is there any pressure on the senior cricketers from the Board to pave way for the younger generation?

“I don’t think you can do this in sports. You cannot do it to players like Sachin (Tendulkar), Rahul (Dravid), V.V.S. (Laxman), Anil (Kumble) and myself. Okay we failed in one series but we have done so well over a number of years. When their time comes, they will go out on their own terms. They are the men for the big occasions. When you play for so long, speculations do not bother you. No senior player has been asked about retirement plans by the Board,” revealed Ganguly.

India’s most successful left-hander, Ganguly had made — before the Bangalore Test — 6888 runs in 109 Tests at 41.74 with 15 hundreds. In the ODIs, where he excelled as an opener, Ganguly has 11, 363 runs in 311 matches at 41.02.

Known for his timing and glorious stroke-play on the off-side, he conjured several crucial innings, home or away. His handy seam bowling has contained and struck in both forms of the games.

Ganguly has technical shortcomings against short-pitched bowling, but is not lacking in courage. During the latter part of his career, he has coped better with deliveries directed into his body. He is a fine player of spin, uses his feet, strikes the ball long and hard.

Over the last two years he has worked on his stance — he is more balanced and upright — and this has improved his judgment in the corridor. As a southpaw in a middle-order dominated by right-handers, Ganguly has this ability to disrupt the rhythm of an attack in Tests. He adds value to the line-up.

He forces bowlers to switch line, can punish errors in direction and length. His blistering, counter-attacking century at the ’Gabba in 2003 is a case in point. From the context of the series, it was an inspirational innings.

Ganguly, it must be said, was also hampered by a certain looseness around the off-stump. His feet and intent were not always in sync and he was often snared in the corridor by persistent and crafty pacemen in seaming conditions.

During his famous comeback in South Africa in 2006, it was evident that Ganguly had worked on this aspect of his batsmanship. He played closer to his body and adopted a tighter game with more organised feet movement. Greg Chappell acknowledged, “I have never seen Ganguly bat better.” The Dada was seldom short of resolve.

He read the flow of the game well and was swift and pro-active in his response. He was a natural leader and an instinctive captain, unafraid of taking risks.

India’s most successful Test captain with 21 wins in 49 matches, Ganguly instilled belief in the team. He was a strong captain, someone who refused to be intimidated. He had clarity of thought and was tough-talking. He was not parochial and he backed players he believed in.

At his peak, Ganguly could middle the ball in sleep. He has, despite skepticism, made runs on pitches with pace and lift, conjured gems when the ball swung around and has built monuments in the sub-continent.

On the off-side, he stroked with timing more than power; a seemingly harmless push would scorch the turf. His range of strokes on the off-side makes it hard for a captain to plug gaps.

As his career progressed, he improved his repertoire on the leg-side, even employing the pull against the pacemen. Loathe him for his faults or admire him for his talent, Ganguly is bound to be missed.

* * *so they said...

I would like to celebrate his retirement, rather than mourn it because of his enormous contribution to Indian cricket. A great player, a legend of the game has hung up his boots and we all should celebrate his contribution.

— Bishan Singh Bedi, former India captain.

We all enjoyed his batting and his passion for the game. I would not mourn his retirement but would recall the joy he gave us all with his game. We are proud of whatever he has done for the country.

— Kapil Dev, former India captain.

I am surprised by the decision, and at the same time it is a very good decision from Ganguly. He has been under a lot of scrutiny for quite some time and people had started doubting his capabilities. He has done wonderfully well for the country. A dignified exit was imperative on his part and there can be no better than this.

— Javagal Srinath, former India fast bowler.

It was no doubt a big decision by him. He has done a fantastic job for the country and we all respect what he has achieved. He was a brilliant captain. I mean the way he led the team against Australia and Pakistan was just fantastic.

— Kiran More, former India wicketkeeper.

Frankly it did not come as a surprise to me. He’s a thinking cricketer. These cricketers know their bodies well. He must have thought deep and consulted people whom he trusts and then decided.

— Chandu Borde, former India cricketer.

Ganguly must have given careful thought before taking his decision. He is a great player. I think aggression has come into Indian cricket during Sourav’s captaincy and India started winning matches. He displayed great mental strength by making comebacks to the Indian team.

— Inzamam-ul-Haq, former Pakistan captain.* * *Ganguly's career highlights

January 1992: Makes his ODI debut against West Indies, scores just 3 before being dropped from the team.

June 1996: Scores century against England at Lord’s on his Test debut and follows it up with another century in the very next Test at Trent Bridge.

August 1997: Scores his first ODI century in Colombo against Sri Lanka in his 32nd match.

September 1997: Leading scorer and wicket-taker in the Sahara Cup as India thrash Pakistan 4-1. He scores a total of 222 runs at 55.5 and captures 15 wickets at 10.66. Wins four Man-of-the-Match awards in five matches and is adjudged the Man of the Series.

November-December 1997: Top scorer and Man of the Series in the three-Test home series against Sri Lanka with 392 runs (average: 98).

May 1999: Scores 183 in Taunton against Sri Lanka in the World Cup, then highest ODI score by an Indian.

September 1999: Captains India for the first time in the Coca-Cola Singapore Challenge tournament, against West Indies, after Sachin Tendulkar pulls out due to a sore back.

February 2000: Joins Lancashire. He is also named the captain for the five-ODI home series against South Africa after Tendulkar relinquishes the post.

March 2001: Leads India to 2-1 win against Australia at home in the historic Test series.

July 2002: Takes off his shirt and waves it from the Lord’s balcony after India’s win in the NatWest Series final.

April 2004: Becomes the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Pakistan. Also with 15 Test wins, he becomes India’s most successful captain.

October 2004: India loses the home series against Australia for the first time in 35 years.

March 2005: Draws the home series against Pakistan.

April 2005: Banned for six matches for slow-over rate during the ODI series in Pakistan. India loses the series 2-4.

September 2005: Reveals in Zimbabwe that the then coach Greg Chappell had asked him to step down from captaincy.

November 2005: End of his five-year reign as Test captain as Rahul Dravid takes over the reins against Sri Lanka.

December 2006: Picked for the Test series against South Africa and becomes the leading run-getter.

January 2007: Scores 98 in his ODI comeback in Nagpur against West Indies.

July-August 2007: Scores 249 runs at 49.80 in India’s series win in England.

Nov-Dec 2007: Leading scorer (534) and Man of the Series in the three Tests against Pakistan. Scores his first Test century on his home ground at Eden Gardens. Slams his first double-century in Bangalore.

Dec. 2007-Jan. 2008: A mixed Test series in Australia (235 runs at 29.37, two half-centuries). Dropped from the ODI squad.

October 2008: Announces his retirement — to quit after the Test series against Australia.