I had been trying to avoid getting into this with people - the issue seems everywhere like an all-pervading hydra. But alas, your roots and Bong roots at that, don't always take too kindly to being denied an outlet.
Sourav Ganguly in many ways, re-defined sports in Bengal. We had traditionally been a soccer-loving state with a heritage of producing hardly a handful of cricketers at international level and save, Pankaj Roy, hardly a home-grown talent. Of course, we had been great at attributing all kinds of manipulative theories to this phenomenon (and not all of them unfounded) and thus, it was with disbelieving glee that a lot of us watched his ascent to the helm of Indian cricket.
Disgraced at the young age of 18, when a lot many, outside Bengal too, considered him a worthy young talent, 'Dada' miraculously returned after a 4 year long wilderness; ironically when many had written him off as an addition to the long list of discards that populate the lower echelons of cricket here. And a return, it was, of the grandest scale. A century at the Mecca of cricket and Sourav had started off on a long innings that would see him tagged as the most successful Indian captain. Indeed, for a long period, Sourav was a treat to watch whenever he would get going - Dravid's tribute to his off-side prowess, perhaps, the most panegyric that a player could expect. Mind you, he was never the possessor of perfect technique and his on-side foibles always well-documented, but grit and gumtion, he posessed in plenty and it served him well as he led India on to a path of unprecedented glory.
And yet, like many before him, Sourav Ganguly failed to see the early ominous signs of his own downfall. His form was the first to desert him; his luck next and finally, unfortunately for him and for Indian cricket, his reasoning and humility. Arrogance had served him well in the early years - the whole mass of Indian humanity and media had admired his bold decision to make the great Steve Waugh wait at the time of toss - "Sourav gives it back to the Aussies" - some had proclaimed. And yet, this was his undoing once his halcyon days were over. Shorn of runs and form, Ganguly exhibited the enduring human trait of defensive stubbornness and refused to stand down. Admirable trait - not giving up - but unfortunately, he stood in the way of candidates, who by then, had acquired greater credentials for the job. Indian cricket had to suffer.
Surely, our Dada was treated unfairly during the Sri Lanka series. It was a humiliation that would have rankled even the supporters of minor mortals like Wasim Jaffer. That it was meted out to a successful former captain, only exposes our fickle allegiance to immediate architects of success.
As I write this, I have just received news of his inclusion for the Pakistan trip. To me, it has the undertones of an elegy. The best that even his die-hard fans can think of, is perhaps, a last hurrah - a reminder of his once glory days. Pluck is the only companion that has stayed loyal to him and perhaps, that itself, will lead him to a few last heroic exploits on Paki soil.
When the dusts of time and controversies have settled, perhaps, we will be able to look back at his days with neutral eyes. To me, as a cricket afficionado and an Indian supporter, Sourav Ganguly has brought immense joy on countless occasions. My thanks to him for all that and I hope that he indeed manages to make this trip to Pakistan - a last hurrah.
As Kurt Cobain once said - "It is better to burn out than to fade away."
Sourav Ganguly in many ways, re-defined sports in Bengal. We had traditionally been a soccer-loving state with a heritage of producing hardly a handful of cricketers at international level and save, Pankaj Roy, hardly a home-grown talent. Of course, we had been great at attributing all kinds of manipulative theories to this phenomenon (and not all of them unfounded) and thus, it was with disbelieving glee that a lot of us watched his ascent to the helm of Indian cricket.
Disgraced at the young age of 18, when a lot many, outside Bengal too, considered him a worthy young talent, 'Dada' miraculously returned after a 4 year long wilderness; ironically when many had written him off as an addition to the long list of discards that populate the lower echelons of cricket here. And a return, it was, of the grandest scale. A century at the Mecca of cricket and Sourav had started off on a long innings that would see him tagged as the most successful Indian captain. Indeed, for a long period, Sourav was a treat to watch whenever he would get going - Dravid's tribute to his off-side prowess, perhaps, the most panegyric that a player could expect. Mind you, he was never the possessor of perfect technique and his on-side foibles always well-documented, but grit and gumtion, he posessed in plenty and it served him well as he led India on to a path of unprecedented glory.
And yet, like many before him, Sourav Ganguly failed to see the early ominous signs of his own downfall. His form was the first to desert him; his luck next and finally, unfortunately for him and for Indian cricket, his reasoning and humility. Arrogance had served him well in the early years - the whole mass of Indian humanity and media had admired his bold decision to make the great Steve Waugh wait at the time of toss - "Sourav gives it back to the Aussies" - some had proclaimed. And yet, this was his undoing once his halcyon days were over. Shorn of runs and form, Ganguly exhibited the enduring human trait of defensive stubbornness and refused to stand down. Admirable trait - not giving up - but unfortunately, he stood in the way of candidates, who by then, had acquired greater credentials for the job. Indian cricket had to suffer.
Surely, our Dada was treated unfairly during the Sri Lanka series. It was a humiliation that would have rankled even the supporters of minor mortals like Wasim Jaffer. That it was meted out to a successful former captain, only exposes our fickle allegiance to immediate architects of success.
As I write this, I have just received news of his inclusion for the Pakistan trip. To me, it has the undertones of an elegy. The best that even his die-hard fans can think of, is perhaps, a last hurrah - a reminder of his once glory days. Pluck is the only companion that has stayed loyal to him and perhaps, that itself, will lead him to a few last heroic exploits on Paki soil.
When the dusts of time and controversies have settled, perhaps, we will be able to look back at his days with neutral eyes. To me, as a cricket afficionado and an Indian supporter, Sourav Ganguly has brought immense joy on countless occasions. My thanks to him for all that and I hope that he indeed manages to make this trip to Pakistan - a last hurrah.
As Kurt Cobain once said - "It is better to burn out than to fade away."
