INDIAN CRICKET WITHOUT THE LIKES` OF G A N G U L Y?
Dr Nitin Mehta. MSc, PhD, FICN, Dip. In Lib Sc, & Hosp.Admn.
In the last few weeks it has become apparent that the three senior players will fade away from the Indian Cricket scene gradually, as the performances of big 3 is really poor & not winning ones. The three have been “rested”& new faces will play in the Challenger ODI trophy. All cricketers like other professionals have to or are retired at a particular time. It is hard to imagine what Indian cricket would be like without GANGULY.But here is my/our best shot.
The imaginary Indian cricket has an identity; it’s a religion in our country. But Ganguly has given a new identity as captain. He is probably the most successful captain and embroiled in controversies most of the time & came out unscathed every time With story about water trolley in Australia, coming out late for few minutes for toss to slow bowling rate in an ODI, to recently being dropped from ODI team against
Australia, he has been in the limelight for good performances with bat& ball. He has formed the best opening pair with Tendulkar in ODIs, the last such pair known is of Desmond Haynes &Gordon Greenidge [WI].
In our country, cricket is a religion, & if you ask anyone on the street about cricket & they will tell you about wrong done to Ganguly & at the same time become nostalgic about the scene of Ganguly waving his shirt , bare chested while winning NETWEST Trophy .Such is his popularity , that even though he was “victimized “ by the politics of the said caucus of Kiran More & Greg Chappell & humiliated by removing him as captain of Team India, people rallied behind him.& he got overwhelming “YES” to regain captaincy leaving Tendulkar far behind. And surely, a genuine breed that he is, he came back with masterly performances. No body could then deny him a place in the team, but then politics there in the common room kept him away many a times .Selectors read wrong signals about Virendra Shewag, he was given all batting slots but he failed horribly, while with this even media didn’t write in support of Ganguly. Even Yuvraj Singh suffered because of ‘fancy ideas “of Chappell of playing kho-kho, that he got injured & lost his chance of captaincy. Consider how Ganguly has altered the game in India, would it be as exciting? Probably YES. .He makes the game interesting everywhere every time while he remains in the limelight. for the prize money to TV. The game hasn’t always had that. & in all probability they have heard about this man in glory & crisis He may not have many endorsements like those of Sachin Tendulkar & yet he is hugely popular for his tenacity that he bounced back. For Sachin Tendulkar , now it is reported that he is after records on the field & TV endorsements. & may be truly mentioned that his performances are not for Team India Here Ganguly is different from others, he is not after all this, instead he gave all his to the game he loves, played equally stealer role in promoting youngsters, trusted them while being tested. His sportsman spirit came to the fore when staging a come back, played under the juniors he had once nursed, and latest, he was the 1st to congratulate Dhoni & his team for winning 20 Over World Cup for India. The other two were probably were late.
Cricket, like all other sports, has its share of legends, those who transcend the sport. The great Ranji, Duleepsingh, Mohd Nissar, Lala Amarnath to Mustaq Ali, Vjay Merchant to Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Deo & many more, come to my mind. Some eras, meanwhile had a collection of players who border legendary status and keep the game of cricket consistent. Sometimes it can be frustrating for players of lesser caliber. “you have done all you can , now what? Is in their minds.
It is hard to be overly critical of what he hasn’t done when thinking about the loss of not having such a man on & off the field. You could say , he had a vision & almost brought the game to the highest level & got praised ,may have a clear genetic edge- a truly fighting spirit & appreciating without inhibition in waving his shirt like a Swash buckling hero. Of course the edge looks different to him, since he has lived on it . It’s a cliché that strength comes from adversity. But clichés are often just hard truths tamed by familiarity. May be he triumphed in spite of his ordeals, not because of them.
He is the only & probably the only cricketer to face the music, there is no control group that lets you measure what we Indians – cricket lovers are to miss. Truly he is called the uncrowned “Maharajah of Kolkatta”, he fought the battle & won the war against all adversity. A NOBLE WARRIOR..
