Thursday 27 September 2012

The joy of "kolkata"

Indian cricket has seen many great players' careers who played excellently when they were given a chance and when they left,they left with pride.There are few others who changed the face of the game that was being played and made such an impact that lasts for a life time.Pride was the face of this man and he was the beloved son of Kolkata.He came,he played and he conquered the hearts of million fans who are now known as "gangulians".


                                             Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was born into a brahmin family in Kolkata to Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly.His father was running a successful business and their's were one of the richest families in town.Ganguly had a modern upbringing in rich environments.Since Kolkata had more popularity in Football than Cricket,Ganguly took up Football in the beginning only to drop it for his studies.His elder brother Snehasish was already an established player in the bengal cricket team so he encouraged dada to take up the sport.Ganguly took it up like fish to the water and he made gradual progress in the game eventually getting selected to play for Bengal in 1989.

                                                                        Ganguly was deemed arrogant and a man with no good attitude towards the game and he was dropped after he played his only ODI in 1992 against the Windies.However he was a determined man and he made tons of runs in the domestic circuit and  he was awarded a ticket to England,where he made his debut and scored a brilliant 131.

                                                              

                                             Ganguly was a star, the moment he set his foot in the Indian team.He was a kind of player who had an impact on the whole team and its performance whenever he scored runs.He made his debut at the home of Cricket,Lords.India were in a spot of trouble when this young lad from Kolkata came in to bat.Right from the moment he hit his first cover drive, we all knew that we have found a capable replacement for the seniors who were scheduled to leave around that time.He was in sublime touch scoring all over the ground with ease.Unlike many players who come from India,Ganguly was strong in backfoot and that was an added advantage.Whenever a bowler tried to bounce him out,Ganguly rocked on to his back foot and whacked the ball for a boundary.He along with another debutante Rahul Dravid steered India out of trouble that day and a legend was born.

                                                        Ganguly was a colorful character and he was a always above the law.He did what he knew best and that was always enough for the team and fans alike.His demeanor and his attitude made him a standout among other youngsters back then.People criticized him for his behavior,but he never cared and he answered all of them with his bat.He made his first ODI century against Srilanka and from then on he never looked back.He played with such an aggression that it was difficult to contain him let alone getting his wicket.

                                        Ganguly was selected for the 1999 world cup where he made a breathtaking 183 and put up a partnership of 318 with Rahul Dravid which was the second highest partnership in history of ODI cricket.His personal high score of 183 was the second highest by any Indian and the highest in a world cup match.

                    Ganguly's golden period in his career came when he was appointed the captain of the Indian team in the year 2000 after match fixing allegations rocked Indian Cricket.He had a huge responsibility to lead the team from crisis.That was the beginning of an era in Indian Cricket.He revolutionized Indian cricket with his thinking capabilities making some huge changes in the team.He inducted youngsters in the team and made them believe that they can perform,they can beat all the odds and become a successful player.He made some tough decisions to drop senior players and bring in youngsters.

                                                      Ganguly's decision though questionable in the beginning,was a huge success when began to win matches.His moment of pride came when his team beat the all powerful Australians in 2001 when the batting led by Laxman put up a brilliant show to end the Aussies dominance.Their performance was hailed as one of the best and Ganguly was lauded for his captaincy skills.

                                                         Ganguly's other major success came when he led the team to the world cup finals in the year 2003.That was a defining moment for Indian cricket because up until then Indians weren't favorites and they beat all odds to reach that position.Dada made some brilliant plans when he decided to give the role of wicket keeping to Dravid and bring in one more batsman into the team to lend more depth.He led India to some overseas victories against England,South Africa and Pakistan which led to the beginning of ascension of Indian Cricket and its popularity.

                                                                             The success against England in the Natwest trophy in 2002 when Ganguly removed his T-shirt after they won was a significant moment in history of Indian cricket.It was an announcement to the world about a team that was slowly gaining momentum.

                                                           Ganguly had a rough time in 2005 when Chappell began to coach the Indian team.He and Chappell had many disagreements.The lack of form and the rift with the coach costed dada his place in the team.Ganguly's fans were furious and some of them were mad at Chappell for calling their hero "physically and mentally unfit" to lead the team.Ganguly had support pouring from all corners and he was soon inducted into the team after an one year hiatus when he was called for the tour of South Africa.Ganguly immediately made an impact by scoring an half century and he helped winning one of the matches bagging the man of the match in the process.He had a successful run after his comeback making some good scores and he was eventually picked for the world cup in 2007.

                                                         Ganguly then made his career best score of 239 against Pakistan and he retired in 2008 after the series against the Aussies where he scored a brilliant 100.Ganguly was a person who did things in his own way.He was a hero to all his beloved fans and was a quandary to those who saw him from afar.The love people still have for him is astonishing and he was called "dada"by many people from Kolkata affectionately which roughly means elder brother in English.

                                                         Dada's career was filled with controversies right from the time he ran away with his childhood sweer heart Dona Roy to the time when he was blamed for creating a divide and rule atmosphere in the dressing room.No wonder he was called "controversy's first child".But he was the favorite child for Kolkata,god of offside for cricket fans and the guy who made a difference to Indian Cricket.I can today say that I'm a Gangulian and proud of it!!

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