Sourav Ganguly:Selfless player..
Highest averages at different batting positions
Qulaification is 1000 runs.
Opening: Sutcliffe H Eng 4522 61.11
He was amongst the best three openers of all time. He is followed by Bruce Mitchell with 2390 runs @ 56.90.
No.3: Bradman D.G Aus 5078 103.63
Again no one should be surprised to see the greatest ever batsman at this position, with a 100+ average, the only instance of a such an average. He is followed by Ken Barrington with 2626 runs at 77.24.
No.4: Kallis J.H Saf 5675 71.84
Jacques Kallis' consistency at this position is well-known and this accounts for his overall average of high 50s. Surprisingly he is followed by Sourav Ganguly with 1143 runs @ 71.44. Have the Indian selectors/captains missed a trick there?
No.5: Worrell F.M.M Win 1189 59.45
This is a proof of the domination of the famous Ws. They occupy the first three places. Frank Worrell is followed by Clyde Walcott with 1599 runs @ 59.22.
No.6: Chanderpaul S ~ Win 2087 63.24
Another surprise, or perhaps not. The difficulty opposing bowlers have in dismissing Shivnarine Chanderpaul is shown by his outstanding average at this pivotal position. He is followed by Salim Malik with 1591 runs @ 56.82.
No.7: McMillan B.M Saf 1051 58.39
Brian McMillan has outdone quite a few fancied others at this position. He is followed by the mercurial Gilchrist with 3864 runs @ 49.62.
No.8: Vettori ~ Nzl 1136 42.07
Can anyone deny Vettori's claims to an allrounder position when he bats like this at
No. 8. He improved his No. 8 position average in the recently concluded Test with an aggressive 94. He is followed by Mark Boucher with 1034 runs at 34.47.
Now i hope People have a look at the Red caption.
Sourav Ganguly at no 4 :Second highest average.are you surprised?
i am not suprised as Sourav is a batting great .
Whom do we associate the NO 4 position with ?
Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar 4 9573 57.32
Dravid 4 904 56.50
Well this is not a comparison going on.
WHY does Ganguly have such a sub standard average of only 43 in tests.
as Ganguly plays at no 5.
as no 4 is reserved which is supposed to be a domain of GOD.
by the time Ganguly comes to Bat
Virender Sehwag on an average scores 55 runs as his average is 55.
Rahul Dravid a 55
Sachin also a 55
and then there is another opener in question too.
So most of the time in Sourav's 104 tests when he comes to bat
the team score is around 300/3 as all the ABOVE batsmen go on to score a biggie.
ANd this is the case for most of the 104 TEST MATCHES HE HAS PLAYED
Now Ganguly comes to play when THE PITCH IS NO MORE THAN SAND DUST.
and He is expected to score at a strike rate of 200 so that India can declare or win a test match .
now by the time Ganguly scores a 30 or 40 the score reaches somewhere around 360 so its time for Ganguly to play rashful shots and give his wicket.
and to prove my debate
:VVS LAKSMAN WHO comes at no 6 even though being a great player has an average of 44.
why ?
same reason as Sourav Ganguly.
and most of VVS LAKSMAN'S hundreds are against AUSTRALIA becoz of the fact that the other players on top of him dont play AUSTRALIA THAT WELL.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sourav-Selfish??2
Sourav-Selfish??1.
sourav ganguly took over the reins of indian cricket when indian cricket was in turmoil.he was batting like a god scoring runs at will .but then sachin after the match fixing scandal asked him to captain.
dada could have said no ...but dada the personality said well i will sacrifice my runs ,i will sacrifice the chance to become a GARY SOBERS only to lead INdia to greater heights.
And that is what exactly happened.India went up to no 2 in both tests and Odis and we knew how to win.back in 1980s era of the great Sunil gavaskar and kapil dev they lost matches but contributed to their individual scores.
but OUR DADA IS SO SELFLESS .always thinks of TEAM INDIA.he brought in people like Dhoni ,he brought in Yuvraj ,Harbhajan,Sehwag
Now they are matchwinners but what happened to DADA .all he recieved for his contribution to the team was bitchy comments and not so kind gesture from former cricketers like i cant control Fuc*** Ravi shashtri
odis
Career averages Span Mat Runs HS Bat Av 100 Wkts BBI Bowl Av 5 Ct St
filtered 1992-2007 164 6259 183 43.16 11 54 5/16 39.22 1 39 0
tests
Career averages Span Mat Runs HS Bat Av 100 Wkts BBI Bowl Av 5 Ct St
filtered 1996-2008 53 3995 239 47.00 10 27 3/28 36.70 0 29 0
well guys the meaning of this
is in odis without being the captain he has a higher average of approx 44
which is FUC****AMAZING
in tests without being the captain he has an average of approx 48 well sunil gavaskar has an average of 50 something..
so DADA is a great player too
he had 10 hundreds in 50 test matches as a non captain ..
thats just great
oh forgot to mention one thing
sunil gavaskar bats at no 1 position
sourav bats at no 5 .doesnt get that oppurtunities and the mental set up is such that he has to bat very aggresively cz he has to support the tailenders.
when you bat at COMFORTABLE POSITIONS AT no 3 or 4 how do you not expect to score 10000 runs.
Sourav is so shy and so selfless that he says no you guys bat let me captain the team
you look for hundreds and if i get something well and good but the team should win
well guys if you didnt know before
Career averages Span Mat Runs HS Bat Av 100 Wkts BBI Bowl Av 5 Ct St
filtered 1992-2000 129 4940 183 42.95 11 47 5/16 36.36 1 35 0
well guys what does this mean .before he took over captaincy in 200 in 120 matches he scored 11 hundreds.
and ganguly in the rest of 180 matches scored 11 hundreds just bcoz of captaincy which consisted of bermuda kenya hundreds .when he was at the peak of his form sachin told him you take over the captaincy i m not comfortable
so what did he do?mr GANGULY IS SUCH A FOOL and such a TEAM man he said I DONT CARE ABOUT HUNDREDS i care about India.
Career averages Span Mat Runs HS Bat Av 100 Wkts BBI Bowl Av 5 Ct St
filtered 1996-2000 73 2454 186* 37.75 6 11 2/61 73.63 0 31 0
OH MY GOD look at SACHIN .HE played 73 odis as captain and his average is an awesome 38.SACHIN GAVE THE CAPTAINCY TO GANGULY.
ganguly guys is the biggest FOOL in the earth.Ganguly didnot realise that he could have been the best batsmen in the business as stats support your claim to be the best batsmen.
all GREEDY PEOPLE were playing with Sourav ganguly
Sourav ganguly when he brought aggression to the team won matches for India in a jiffy but i FUCKIN dont understand why evryone credits Rahul Dravid.well he scored the runs but who was the captain who gave him confidence to bat without thinking of any other thing.
What did Rahul do when he was the captain.he not only tried to out cast sourav but also lost his place from the one day team bcoz of poor captaincy and poor performance
so GUYS captaincy is not a piece of cake.look at Ganguly .at 35 he became THE HIGHEST RUN GETTER in 2007 in both tests and odis
WHY?HE WASNT THE CAPTAIN.he is one selfless and a foolish player who thinks of others but people are so jealous of him
i am not able to provide in a more eye soothing manner as it will take me precious time to make the HTML Tables so please excuse.
Sourav V Rahul 2
ANALYSIS NO 3-
Index :
HS1 MEANS hIGHEST score
HS2 means Second Highest SCore
HS3 means Third highest Score.
NOW LET US HAVE A LOOK AT THE EXPLOITS OF DRAVID AT NO 4 VERSUS AUSTRALIA. .THE PARAMETER WHICH SEPARATES THE MEN FROM THE BOYS
Series Mat I NO Runs HS1 HS2 HS3 Ave 100 50 0
1.Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Aus/Ind) in India, 1997/98 [Series]
Ind 3 5 0 223 86 56 52 44.60 0 3 0
2.Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Aus/Ind) in Australia, 1999/00 [Series]
Aus 2 4 0 52 29 14 9 13.00 0 0 1
3.Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Aus/Ind) in India, 2000/01 [Series]
Ind 2 3 0 73 39 25 9 24.33 0 0 0
4.Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Aus/Ind) in Australia, 2003/04 [Series]
- 4 8 3 619 233 92 91* 123.80 1 3 0
5.Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Aus/Ind) in India, 2004/05 [Series]
Aus 4 5 1 114 60 31* 21 28.50 0 1 1
HEY WHAT IS THIS ..DRAVID SCORES SO POORLY AGAINST THE AUSSIES IN ALL OF THE EDITIONS EXCEPT FOR THE 4TH ONE.DRAVID IF YOU HAVE A LOOK ,BATS LIKE A AVERAGE PLAYER AGAINST THE AUSSIES..
WHY IS HIS AVERAGE HIGH AGAINST THE AUSSIES IN THE 4TH ONE.?
3 NOT OUTS ..IF YOU REMOVE THE THREE NOT OUTS THEN HIS AVERAGE COMES DOWN TO 77.4 WHICH MEANS A DROP OF ABOUT 50 POINTS OR ABOUT 40%.SO NOT OUTS FLATTER TO DECEIVE.FOR WHICH RAHUL DRAVID OVERALL AVERAGE AGAINST THE AUSSIES DROPS BELOW 38.
SOURAV GANGULY ON THE OTHER HAND DOES NOT BETTER BUT STILL HE HAS AN AVERAGE OF 36 .
SO HERE ALSO THERE IS NOTHING TO SEPARATE BETWEEN THE TWO.
BUT GANGULY STILL WINS COZ HE IS WAY BETTER THAN DRAVID IN ANALYSIS NO 1 AND BOTH OF THEM ARE EQUAL IN ANALYSIS 2 AND ANALYSIS 3.
BUT THEN AFTER THE DISCUSSION GANGULY IS JUST A BIT AHEAD OF DRAVID IN TESTS.
Ø HOW DO I PROVE THAT GANGULY IS WAY WAY BETTER THAN HIM IN TESTS.
ANALYSIS NO 4-
YES I HAVE GOT THIS NUMBER OF MAN OF THE SERIES AWARDS RECEIVED BY A PLAYER .LET US SEE WHAT THE LIST HAS TO SAY .PLAIN STATS..
P.S THESE ARE MAN OF THE SERIES AWARDS AND NOT MAN OF THE MATCH AWARDS WHICH MEANS YOU ARE THE NO 1 CRICKETER AMONG 22 CRICKETERS MINIMUM OR MORE IN A TRIANGULAR FOR THE WHOLE OF THE SERIES..
IN SHORT YOU ARE THE SUPERSTAR OF THAT SERIES..NOW LET US SEE WHO HEADS THE CHART.
Combined Tests, ODIs, Twenty20 Int. records
Ø Most player-of-the-series awards
Player Span Mat Series Awards Tests ODIs T20Is
SR Tendulkar (India) 1989-2007 550 150 17 4 13 0
ST Jayasuriya (Asia/SL) 1989-2007 520 156 13 2 11 0
JH Kallis (Afr/ICC/SA) 1995-2007 383 101 12 7 5 0
M Muralitharan (Asia/ICC/SL) 1992-2007 415 131 11 11 0 0
Imran Khan (Pak) 1971-1992 263 74 10 8 2 0
SM Pollock (Afr/ICC/SA) 1995-2007 415 104 10 2 8 0
SC Ganguly (Asia/India) 1992-2007 410 116 10 3 7 0
Wasim Akram (Pak) 1984-2003 460 136 10 7 3 0
IVA Richards (WI) 1974-1991 308 69 9 2 7 0
GA Gooch (Eng) 1975-1995 243 71 9 5 4 0
SK Warne (Aus/ICC) 1992-2007 339 82 9 8 1 0
Waqar Younis (Pak) 1989-2003 349 104 9 5 4 0
SR Waugh (Aus) 1985-2004 493 113 9 6 3 0
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Asia/ICC/Pak) 1991-2007 499 145 9 3 6 0
Sir RJ Hadlee (NZ) 1973-1990 201 64 8 8 0 0
RT Ponting (Aus/ICC) 1995-2007 408 104 8 4 4 0
BC Lara (ICC/WI) 1990-2007 430 105 8 4 4 0
MD Marshall (WI) 1978-1992 217 51 7 6 1 0
DI Gower (Eng) 1978-1992 231 64 7 3 4 0
CEL Ambrose (WI) 1988-2000 274 68 7 6 1 0
S Chanderpaul (WI) 1994-2007 333 91 7 4 3 0
GD McGrath (Aus/ICC) 1993-2007 376 97 7 5 2 0
PA de Silva (SL) 1984-2003 401 122 7 4 3 0
MA Atherton (Eng) 1989-2001 169 48 6 4 2 0
A Flintoff (Eng/ICC) 1998-2007 201 53 6 4 2 0
AA Donald (SA) 1991-2003 236 66 6 4 2 0
CH Gayle (ICC/WI) 1999-2007 249 68 6 1 5 0
ML Hayden (Aus/ICC) 1993-2007 251 70 6 4 2 0
AC Gilchrist (Aus/ICC) 1996-2007 380 88 6 3 3 0
N Kapil Dev (India) 1978-1994 356 95 6 4 2 0
FROM THE LIST THAT I HAVE THERE IS NO RAHUL DRAVID .THERE IS A TOTAL OF 38 PLAYERS THAT ARE IN THIS LIST BUT IT SEEMS RAHUL DRAVID IS NOT A MATCHWINNER AT ALL ..ABSOLUTELY NO WHERE
HOWEVER SOURAV HOLDS HIS OWN FORT..HE OCCUPIES THE NO 5 SPOT NOT AMONG INDIAN CRICKETERS BUT AMONG THE CRICKETERS AROUND THE WORLD .
WORLD MEANS INDIA ,PAKISTAN ,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND ,SRI LANKA,WEST INDIES,ZIMBABWE,BANGLADESH,ENGLAND AND SOUTH AFRICA .WHICH MEANS SOURAV IS NO 5 AMONG LAKHS OF CRICKETERS WHO HAVE PLAYED SINCE 1888 IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET AND DRAVID IS NOWHERE
Ø SO WHO IS THE BEST?
SOURAV OVERWHELMINGLY TRIUMPHS OVER DRAVID .AND THIS IS PLAIN STATS..
AND DARE YOU GUYS COMPARE SOURAV WITH RAHUL DRAVID IN ODIS.I WILL JUST BLOW YOU AWAY.
Please Suggest me your views and let me know either in Official Orkut Sourav Ganguly Community or In my scrapbook.
Sourav Vs Rahul
>> I WILL NOW DISCLOSE THROUGH STATS WHICH IS THE ONLY WAY OF CLOSING THE DEBATE AS TO WHO IS THE NUMBER 2 CRICKETER OF INDIA.
>>GANGULY AND RAHUL DRAVID SEEM TO BE THE CONTENDERS FOR THIS POSITION AND HERE I BRING STATS TO PROVE MY POINT.
>> I WOULD NOT LIKE TO COMPARE GANGULY AND DRAVID IN ODIS AS IN TERMS OF NUMBERS AND IN TERMS OF WINNING THE MATCH FOR THE COUNTRY GANGULY IS ONLY BEHIND THE GREATEST BATSMEN IN WORLD CRICKER SACHIN TENDULKAR.
>> I WOULD ALSO NOT LIKE TO COMPARE GANGULY WITH DRAVID IN TERMS OF CAPTAINCY .
>> SO THE CRUX OF THE DEBATE IS WHO IS BETTER IN TESTS??
GANGULY RECENTLY IN AN INTERVIEW TO CNN-IBN SAID THAT HE MISSED QUITE A LOT OF HUNDREDS SINCE HE WAS BATTING DOWN THE ORDER AND WHICH IS OVERWHELMINGLY TRUE.
IF GANGULY WOULD HAVE BATTED AT NO 4 HE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST LEFT HANDER COZ HE AVERAGES AN OVERWHELMING 71 .
HE RIGHTLY POINTED OUT THE UNAVAILIBILTY OF WICKET KEEPER BATSMEN.WHEN GANGULY USED TO PLAY BEFORE 2005 THEN HE HAD LIKES OF MSK PRASAD VIJAY DAHIYA DEEP DASGUPTA AND MANY MORE MAKESHIFT WICKET KEEPERS. THEN THE BOWLERS COULDNT EVEN BAT LOWER DOWN THE ORDER TO HELP HIM BAT.
BY THE TIME GANGULY CAME IN TO BAT ,SEHWAG ,DRAVID OR SACHIN WOULD HAVE ALREADY PUT 300 RUNS AND THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF DECLARING THE INNINGS FOR WHICH SOURAV HAD TO WHACK THE BALL AND EVENTUALLY LOST HIS WICKET.
THE ABOVE STATEMENT LOOKS VERY STALE .ISNT IT?OK LET US COMPARE THE PLAYERS IF THEY WERE BATTING AT NO 4.
ANALYSIS NO 1-
Ø SOURAV GANGULY AT NO 4
Mat I NO Runs HS1 HS2 HS3 Ave 100 50 0
14 18 2 1143 239 173 101* 71.43 3 4 0
Ø AT NO 4 BEFORE THIS SERIES
Mat I NO Runs HS1 HS2 HS3 Ave 100 50 0
12 15 2 767 173 101* 98* 59.00 2 3 0
Ø RAHUL DRAVID AT NO 4.
Mat I NO Runs HS1 HS2 HS3 Ave 100 50 0
12 17 2 901 146 118 86 60.06 2 6 0
FROM THE ABOVE DISCUSSION YOU CAN FIND OUT THAT SOURAV HAS AN AMAZING MINBLOWING AVERAGE OF 71 AT NO 4.SOURAV HAS SCORED 534 RUNS THIS SERIES WHEN INDIA WERE TOTTERING WITH A COUPLE OF BATSMEN ALREADY IN THE PAVILION.BUT THEN IF YOU GUYS STILL DO NOT GIVE CREDIT TO THIS PERFORMANCE HE STILL NOTCHES AN AVERAGE OF 59 BATTING AT NO 4 ..WHICH IS SECOND BEST TO DON BRADMAN
WHAT ABOUT DRAVID.HIS AVERAGE AT NO 4 IS ONLY 60 WHICH MEANS THAT A PLAYER WHOM WE SUPPOSEDLY KNOW AS THE WALL AND SCORES SO HEAVILY STILL CANNOT OUTDO GANGULY WHO BEATS HIM BY 11 AVERAGE POINTS WHICH IS A VERY VERY BIG MARGIN..
WHICH MEANS THAT SOURAV IS WAY BETTER THAN DRAVID .
ANALYSIS NO 2-
NOW ACCORDING TO SOURAV,HE SAYS HE DIDN’T HAVE MORE OPPURTUNITIES TO SCORE HUNDREDS AT NO 5.IS THIS REALLY TRUE…LET US SEE HOW BOTH OF THEM FARE BATTING AT NO 5 WHICH MEANS VERY VERY LESS OPPURTUNITIES.
SOURAV GANGULY
AT NO 5 .
Mat I NO Runs HS1 HS2 HS3 Ave 100 50 0
58 84 7 2933 144 128 125 38.09 6 14 3
DRAVID BATTING AT NO 5
Mat I NO Runs HS1 HS2 HS3 Ave 100 50 0
9 9 2 277 144* 53 27 39.57 1 1 0
ANALYSIS AT BATTING POSITION NUMBER 5- OH MY GOSH .THERE IS NOTHING TO COMPARE AS THE DIFFERENCE IS A MERE ONE POINT…A MAN OF DRAVID’S SO CALLED CALIBRE BATTING ONLY AT 39 ..
It is continued...Look out for it
TRIUMVIRATE Dropped.
Widespread resentment swept through cricket fans over Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and in-form V.V.S. Laxman being dropped from India's squad for the triangular one-day series with Australia and Sri Lanka in Australia.
While cricket fans were angry at the decision of the national selectors, most former Test stars, some of them former selectors, have welcomed the move to build a team for the future, keeping in view the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent.
The decision to drop Ganguly, in particular, came as a shock to many of his fans who held protest demonstrations in his home city Kolkata and in Varansi where they took to streets.
His fans were angry, as this is the second time in over a year that Ganguly has been sidelined trotting out his poor fielding and running between the wickets as the reasons. How could a player who has scored 1240 runs in 32 games, averaging 44, be dropped, asked many of his supporters.
According to sources in the cricket board, most of the inputs for the team selection came from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the two selectors Venkatapathy Raju and Ranjib Biswal, who are in Australia, when chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar and his two colleagues Sanjay Jagdale and Bhupinder Singh Jr held a teleconference with them before the meeting.
It is now clear that the men on the spot down under made it clear that they would like a squad, which is energetic in the field and has the spirit of the Twenty20 squad which won the inaugural world championship last year.
The parameters automatically disqualified Ganguly and Dravid, who did not play in South Africa, though Sachin Tendulkar was an exception.
Specifically on Ganguly, it was stated that his fielding has deteriorated and he is not able to throw from the deep. His running between the wickets too came in for scrutiny. It was also said that Ganguly cannot be guaranteed a permanent place in the eleven with Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar chosen as openers. Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik also can open and both of them are brilliant fielders.
The same yardstick was applied to Dravid as he, too, cannot find a place unless he bats at number three and there appeared not many takers for Laxman despite his great record down under as a fast run-getter even in the limited-overs cricket.
Former selector and captain of India Bishan Singh Bedi said: "For once you could not fault the selectors. And this is the best that could have happened looking at the World Cup. If there is anything wrong, it is the timing of the announcement when an important Test at Adelaide around. In this modern world, there is no problem of logistics. They could have easily alerted the players and announced the team on the last day of the Test."
Former coach Sandip Patil while supporting the selectors move asked "why are people talking only about Ganguly and why not Dravid."
Patil said no decision should be seen in an emotional outburst and the decision should be judged dispassionately.
Another former selector Kirti Azad, however, felt that there is little justification in dropping Ganguly and did not agree with the reasoning. "How can you have only a good fielding side, you also need someone to put runs on the board. A team should be selected on current form."
Azad also wondered how could board vice-president Rajeev Shukla comment on cricketing credentials of cricketers while justifying the selection of the squad.
Shukla said it is high time new faces were introduced with experienced players like Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni around. "Youth should get preference at some stage and this is the best time," he added.
Kiran More, from whom Vengsarkar took over as chairman, fully backed his successor and other selectors for their farsightedness, saying emotion has no place when you are talking of the national team.
Dropped Again
The stunning omission of Indian batsman Sourav Ganguly from the one-day team has thrown the tourists' preparation for the fourth India-Australia Test into turmoil.
Herald Sun has reported that several Indian players have still been coming to terms with the decision to drop Ganguly for next month's triangular one-day series against Australia and Sri Lanka.
Some players are bewildered enigmatic batsman Yuvraj Singh has retained his spot ahead of Ganguly, who has more than 11,000 one-day runs and 22 centuries to his credit.
Some players are bewildered enigmatic batsman Yuvraj Singh has retained his spot ahead of Ganguly, who has more than 11,000 one-day runs and 22 centuries to his credit.
Yuvraj was dropped for the Perth Test after double failures in Melbourne and Sydney. His lack of confidence has become such a worry that team management is considering sending him to a renowned sports psychologist.
This sudden divide could not have come at a worse time for the tourists, who had been buoyed by their breakthrough win at the Western Australia Cricket Association Ground.
Cricket's No. 2-ranked team arrived in Adelaide Monday and skipper Anil Kumble must focus his players' minds if they are to force a drawn series at a ground where they claimed a stunning win four years ago.
Kumble must also decide if a five-man attack is best for Adelaide, typically superb to bat on for at least the first three days.Spinner Harbhajan Singh will come into contention for a recall after sitting out the Perth victory because three fast bowlers were used.
The Adelaide pitch is expected to turn, giving Harbhajan even more encouragement to maintain his hold over Ricky Ponting.Harbhajan has dismissed the Australian captain three times in the four innings they have met this summer.
"If I am in the team, I would do what essentially I always try to do: be patient, bowl in the right areas and put pressure on batsmen," Harbhajan said Monday.
"Batsmen tend to make mistakes when under pressure."I felt gratified when Anil said the other day that he thanked me for building up the pressure from the other end."
Harbhajan reiterated Ganguly's claims that India was gunning for Australia's No. 1 crown."Australia is still a very good team, but we are not far behind," he said.
"We have competed with them, and competed well."
If Harbhajan does return, the tourists may axe struggling opener Wasim Jaffer and again ask a reluctant Dravid to open the batting.
CNN-IBN on Ganguly being dropped
King of Comebacks.
Wow! That’s what you call a comeback year. He ended with a double ton, back-to-back centuries, man of the match and man of the series awards against Pakistan in 2007 December.
He started it in December 2006 against South Africa in an away Test series. There he scored the highest runs in the Indian team. He followed it up with four half-centuries on his return to ODIs. He continued his fine run in England, finishing as the second highest scorer in Tests.
So that is Sourav Ganguly, the comeback man.
For Ganguly's profile, look here. But before him we have Mohinder Amarnath as the comeback man. See what Cricinfo says about him:
He was cricket's Frank Sinatra - the master of the comeback. He started his career as suspect against short-pitched fast bowling, and finished it as one of the finest and bravest players of pace.
His defining season was 1982-83: coming back to the side after three years, he stood tall to knock off 1182 runs - including five hundreds - in 11 away Tests against West Indies and Pakistan.
He crowned the season with back-to-back Man of the Match awards at the climax of India's World Cup-winning campaign in 1983. But his world came crashing down again the following home season, when he managed only one run in six innings against that same West Indian team. "Mr Amarnought" got the axe.
But it wasn't the end: he bounced back with renewed force and vigour and was soon hooking fast bowlers off his eyebrows again. He didn't go in for cheap runs - nine of his 11 Test centuries were scored overseas -- and he collected his share of bruises. He will be remembered as a batsman who didn't flinch in the face of fire.
Look the Fuck*** ROAR
SG vs West Indies
After the good Test come-back, a great ODI return. That, in a nutshell, is former India captain Sourav Ganguly's performance at Nagpur against West Indies in the first limited over cricket match.
The stylish left hander had played his last ODI in the tri-series final against New Zealand in Zimbabwe in September 2005.
Ganguly, making a return to the one-day side after 15 months, scored 98 and got run out trying to steal a run. However, it could have been his 23rd ODI century and his first in 52 matches. His last hundred (111*) came in 2002-03 World Cup Semifinal against Kenya at Durban .
I am happy that my prediction on Ganguly was proved wrong. But I may incur the wrath of die hard Sourav fans, if I say that the selectors' decision to sit him out of international matches came as a blessing in disguise for the Bengal batsman. I am sure if he did not have the spat with coach Greg Chappell, he would not have toiled in the nets and the gym as the way he did.
But the strange thing is, just after one 98 in the first game, cricket 'experts' in Bengali television channels commented that not only he will be in the World Cup squad and will also be made captain.
I heard one of them said:"In the last world cup he led the team to final, and in this one he will lead the team to win the final". This could have come from a blind fan but not from an expert.
Moreover, Sourav is playing well and let him play that way. The burden of
captaincy may again force him to lose the recovered touch. In his Test comeback, Ganguly emerged the team's highest run-scorer in the three-Test series against South Africa. He scored 214 runs in six innings at an average of 42.80 and was third in the overall run chart for the series, which the hosts won 2-1.
Monday, April 7, 2008
South Africa 2006
After Sachin became Pollock’s bunny,
and Jaffer, Sehwag, Dravid batted funny;
One man arrived to stop the kill,
With a bat of wood and a heart of steel.
The Indian cricket team, currently in South Africa began their quest for the One-day series on Nov 16th, with a warm-up match against a Rest of South Africa XI. Little under a month later, they played another warm-up match, this time in preparation for the test series, again against a Rest of South Africa XI.
Though, with one small difference - a man called Saurav Ganguly was absent in the first one and present for the second. And, one big difference - India lost the first match and won the next.
With two back to back half-centuries followed by a small yet important cameo, Saurav Ganguly has almost single-handedly resurrected the dying spirits of Indian cricket and more importantly, he has laid the foundation for a historic victory, India's first ever test win in South Africa.
Two days back, even the wildest Indian supporters would not have cherished any hopes of an Indan victory - so bruised and battered have the Indian batsmen been. In the situation, there was hardly a surprise when India were soon reduced to 110/4 in the first innings of the current test.
It's in this context that Ganguly's half-century becomes important. Compare it to India's last tour of Australia and you will know what I mean. No one gave India any chance, and again, in the first innings of the first test India were in a similar position at 127/4. One man's steely resolve set the tone for India, then. The same man, after being dropped, humiliated and finally recalled is doing it again for his country. That's why, Saurav Chandidas Ganguly is important - he lifts his cricket when it's needed most, and alongwith it he lifts the whole team, upwards!
*******
An extract from Kadambari Murali's piece in today's Hindustan Times:
" Ganguly's half-century was worth much more than just 51 and he and everyone watching knew it. In a sense, it was a more defining knock than his 144 in Brisbane three years ago."
Shocking!!!!
End of the road for Sourav Ganguly
The Telegraph of Kolkata published this picture on October 14, 2005, when the Durga idol was immersed after the puja in Kolkata. The captaincy was given to Rahul Dravid from Sourav Ganguly that time.
One year later, the idol returned to give us joy. But Boycott's once favourite 'Prince of Calcutta' did not. Rather, with his poor performance in the Challenger Trophy and missing the Irani Trophy bus, he went down deep into the sea of many a crickter of India who did not know when to say goodbye to the game and walk out of the field gracefully. Sunil Gavaskar perhaps is the only exception.
A lot of people were passionate about Ganguly's achievements on and off the field, and why not they? Even Steve Waugh had once said he was the fittest person to lead India. Well, it was Ganguly who had the 'audacity' not to blink first against the gamesmanship of countries like England and Australia. It was this man who led the country to the World Cup final with a bunch of youngsters under much pressure. The 'Outlook' magazine published a converstory citing "10 reasons" why Ganguly should be retained India's World Cup team skipper when the odds were very heavily against him. Well, those were the days!!
Many of our icons start using their mouths off the field, when their bats fail to talk on it. And Ganguly is no exeption. Even at the helm, he enraged the national media by hobnobbing more with the Kolkata press and even allegedly leaking crucial match strategies. The email issue and the hostile relation with Greg Chappel coupled with his sliding form was actually flashing the red signal for him. No Sharad Pawar, no Jagmohan Dalmiya could do anything for him now.
The Durga idol will return again next year. But Ganguly's cricket career has been immersed
permanently. For those who has forgotten the records of this flamboyent left hander, here is a reminder
Email Leak
Full text of Greg Chappell's e-mail to BCCI
Due to comments made by Mr Sourav Ganguly during the press conference following his innings in the recently completed Test match in Bulawayo and the subsequent media speculation I would like to make my position clear on two points.
1. At no stage did I ask Mr Ganguly to step down from the captaincy of the Indian team and;
2. At no stage have I threatened to resign my position as Indian team coach.
Mr Ganguly came to me following the recently completed tri-series of one-day matches here in Zimbabwe and asked me to tell him honestly where he stood as a player in my view. I told him that I thought he was struggling as a player and that it was affecting his ability to lead the team effectively and that the pressure of captaincy was affecting his ability to play to his potential. I also told him that his state of mind was fragile and it showed in the way that he made decisions on and off the field in relation to the team, especially team selection. A number of times during the tri-series the tour selectors had chosen a team and announced it to the group only for Sourav to change his mind on the morning of the game and want to change the team.
On at least one occasion he did change the team and on the morning of the final I had to talk him out of making another last-minute change that I believe would have destroyed team morale and damaged the mental state of the individuals concerned. I also told Sourav that his nervous state was affecting the team in other ways as he was prone to panic during pressure situations in games and that his nervous demeanour was putting undue pressure on the rest of the team. His nervous pacing of the rooms during our batting in the final plus his desire to change the batting order during our innings in the final had also contributed to nervousness in the players waiting to go in to bat. His reluctance to bat first in games I suggested was also giving wrong signals to the team and the opposition and his nervousness at the crease facing bowlers like Shane Bond from NZ was also affecting morale in the dressing room.
On the basis of this and other observations and comments from players in the squad about the unsettling effect Sourav was having on the group I suggested to Sourav that he should consider stepping down from the captaincy at the end of the tour in the interests of the team and in his own best interests if he wanted to prolong his playing career. I told him of my own experiences toward the end of my career and cited other players such as Border, Taylor and Steve Waugh, all of whom struggled with batting form toward the end of their tenure as Australian captain.
We discussed other issues in relation to captaincy and the time and effort it took that was eating into his mental reserves and making it difficult to prepare properly for batting in games. He commented that he had enjoyed being free of those responsibilities in the time that he was in Sri Lanka following his ban from international cricket and that he would consider my suggestion.
I also raised the matter of selection for the first Test with Sourav and asked him where he thought he should bat. He said 'number 5'. I told him that he might like to consider opening in the Test as the middle order was going to be a tight battle with Kaif and Yuvraj demanding selection. Sourav asked me if I was serious. I said it was something to be considered, but it had to be his decision.
The following day Sourav batted in the match against Zimbabwe 'A' team in the game in Mutare. I am not sure of the exact timing of events because I was in the nets with other players when Sourav went in to bat, but the new ball had either just been taken or was imminent when I saw Sourav walking from the field holding his right arm. I assumed he had been hit and made my way to the players' area where Sourav was receiving treatment from the team physiotherapist, John Gloster.
When I enquired as to what had happened Sourav said he had felt a click in his elbow as he played a ball through the leg side and that he thought he should have it investigated. Sourav had complained of pain to his elbow at various stages of the one-day series, but he had resisted having any comprehensive investigation done and, from my observation, had been spasmodic in his treatment habits, often not using ice-packs for the arm that had been prepared for him by John Gloster. I suggested, as had John Gloster, that we get some further tests done immediately. Sourav rejected these suggestions and said he would be 'fine'. When I queried what he meant by 'fine' he said he would be fit for the Test match. I then queried why then was it necessary to be off the field now. He said that he was just taking 'precautions'.
Rather than make a scene with other players and officials in the vicinity I decided to leave the matter and observe what Sourav would do from that point on. After the loss of Kaif, Yuvraj and Karthik to the new ball, Sourav returned to the crease with the ball now around 20 overs old. He struggled for runs against a modest attack and eventually threw his wicket away trying to hit one of the spinners over the leg side.
The next day I enquired with a number of the players as to what they had thought of Sourav's retirement. The universal response was that it was 'just Sourav' as they recounted a list of times when Sourav had suffered from mystery injuries that usually disappeared as quickly as they had come. This disturbed me because it confirmed for me that he was in a fragile state of mind and it was affecting the mental state of other members of the squad.
When we arrived in Bulawayo I decided I needed to ask Sourav if he had over-played the injury to avoid the danger period of the new ball as it had appeared to me and others within the touring party that he had protected himself at the expense of others. He denied the suggestion and asked why he would do that against such a modest attack. I said that he was the only one who could answer that question.
I was so concerned about the affect that Sourav's actions were having on the team that I decided I could not wait until selection meeting that evening to inform him that I had serious doubts about picking him for the first Test.
I explained that, in my view, I felt we had to pick Kaif and Yuvraj following their good form in the one-day series and that Sehwag, Gambhir, Laxman and Dravid had to play. He said that his record was better than Kaif and Yuvraj and that they had not proved themselves in Test cricket. I countered with the argument that they had to be given a chance to prove themselves on a consistent basis or we would never know. I also said that their form demanded that they be selected now.
Sourav asked me whether I thought he should be captain of the team. I said that I had serious doubts that he was in the right frame of mind to do it. He asked me if I thought he should step down. I said that it was not my decision to make, that only he could make that decision, but if he did make that decision he had to do it in the right manner or it would have even more detrimental effects than if he didn't stand down. I said that now was not the time to make the decision but that we should discuss it at the selection meeting to be held later in the day.
Sourav then said that if I didn't want him to be captain that he would inform Rahul Dravid that was going to stand down. I reiterated that it was not my decision to make but he should give it due consideration under the circumstances but not to do it hastily. At that point Sourav went to Rahul and the two of them conferred briefly and then Sourav left the field and entered the dressing room. At that stage I joined the start of the training session.
A short time later Mr Chowdhary came on to the field and informed me that Sourav had told him that I did not want him as captain and that Sourav wanted to leave Zimbabwe immediately if he wasn't playing. I then joined Mr Chowdhary and Rahul Dravid in the dressing room where we agreed that this was not the outcome that any of us wanted and that the ramifications would not be in the best interests of the team.
We then spent some time with Sourav and eventually convinced him that he should stay on as captain for the two Tests and then consider his future. In my view it was not an ideal solution but it was better than the alternative of him leaving on a bad note. I believe he has earned the right to leave in a fitting manner. We all agreed that this was a matter that should stay between us and should not, under any circumstances, be discussed with the media.
The matter remained quiet until the press conference after the game when a journalist asked Sourav if he had been asked to step down before the Test. Sourav replied that he had but he did not want to elaborate and make an issue of it. I was then called to the press conference where I was asked if I knew anything of Sourav being asked to step down before the game. I replied that a number of issues had been raised regarding selection but as they were selection matters I did not wish to make any further comment.
Apart from a brief interview on ESPN before which I emphasized that I did not wish to discuss the issue because it was a selection matter I have resisted all other media approaches on the matter.
Since then various reports have surfaced that I had threatened to resign. I do not know where that rumour has come from because I have spoken to no one in regard to this because I have no intention of resigning. I assume that some sections of the media, being starved of information, have made up their own stories.
At the completion of the Test match I was approached by VVS Laxman with a complaint that Sourav had approached him on the eve of the Test saying that I had told Sourav that I did not want Laxman in the team for Test matches. I denied that I had made such a remark to Sourav, or anybody else for that matter, as, on the contrary, I saw Laxman as an integral part of the team. He asked how Sourav could have said what he did. I said that the only way we could go to the bottom of the matter was to speak to Sourav and have him repeat the allegation in front of me.
I arranged for a meeting with the two of them that afternoon. The meeting took place just after 6pm in my room at the Rainbow Hotel in Bulawayo. I told Sourav that Laxman had come to me complaining that Sourav had made some comments to Laxman prior to the Test. I asked Sourav if he would care to repeat the comment in my presence. Sourav then rambled on about how I had told him that I did not see a place for Laxman in one-day cricket, something that I had discussed with Sourav and the selection panel and about which I had spoken to Laxman at the end of the Sri Lankan tour.
Sourav mentioned nothing about the alleged conversation regarding Laxman and Test cricket even when I pushed him on it later in the discussion. As we had to leave for a team function we ended the conversation without Sourav adequately explaining his comments to Laxman.
Again, this is not an isolated incident because I have had other players come to me regarding comments that Sourav had made to them that purports to be comments from me to Sourav about the particular player. In each case the comments that Sourav has passed on to the individual are figments of Sourav's imagination. One can only assume that he does it to unnerve the individual who, in each case, has been a middle order batsman.
Sourav has missed the point of my discussions with him on this matter. It has less to do with his form than it does with his attitude toward the team. Everything he does is designed to maximise his chance of success and is usually detrimental to someone else's chances.
Despite meeting with him in Mumbai after his appointment as captain and speaking with him about these matters and his reluctance to do the preparation and training that is expected of everyone else in the squad he continues to set a bad example.
Greg King's training reports continue to show Sourav as the person who does the least fitness and training work based on the criterion that has been developed by the support staff to monitor the work load of all the players.
We have also developed parameters of batting, bowling, fielding and captaincy that we believe embodies the 'Commitment to Excellence' theme that I espoused at my interview and Sourav falls well below the acceptable level in all areas. I will be pleased to present this documentation when I meet with the special committee in Mumbai later this month.
I can assure you sir that all my actions in this matter, and all others since my appointment, have been with the aim of improving the team performance toward developing a team that will represent India with distinctions in Test match and one-day cricket.
As I said to you during our meeting in Colombo, I have serious reservations about the attitude of some players and about Sourav and his ability to take this team to a new high, and none of the things he has done since his reappointment has caused me to change my view. In fact, it has only served to confirm that it is time for him to move on and let someone else build their team toward the 2007 World Cup.
This team has been made to be fearful and distrusting by the rumour mongering and deceit that is Sourav's modus operandi of divide and rule. Certain players have been treated with favour, all of them bowlers, while others have been shunted up and down the order or left out of the team to suit Sourav's whims.
John Wright obviously allowed this to go on to the detriment of the team. I am not prepared to sit back and allow this to continue or we will get the same results we have been seeing for some time now.
It is time that all players were treated with fairness and equity and that good behaviours and attitudes are rewarded at the selection table rather than punished.
I can assure you of my very best intentions.
Yours sincerely,
Greg Chappell MBE