Never Write Sourav Ganguly Off

When Pune Warriors take on the Mumbai Indians today, it will be a battle of David and Goliath. Not many would back the depleted Pune side led by Sourav Ganguly to upset the mighty Mumbai Indians, who spanked the reigning IPL champions Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets in this season's opening game. There also seems to be a lot of negativity and lack of buzz surrounding the Pune Warriors. And there are some valid reasons for it. The Sahara franchise has been in the news this year for all the wrong reasons, almost not playing this season of the IPL. In 2011, they finished second last after flattering to deceive in first couple of matches. So, why have expectations from a side that has not done well to its reputation? Not really. Because, one man in that team has it in him to change the fortunes of his side drastically.

In a pre-tournament analysis of all the sides, I heard Sanjay Manjrekar saying that handing over the reigns of PWI to Sourav Ganguly 'makes no cricketing logic.' I wonder why he and other cynical experts love to loathe Ganguly. Same things were said when Ganguly was included in the side for South African tour of 2006. When he was dropped from the side earlier, these cynics rejoiced. But Sourav shut their mouths up by making a mother of all comebacks in 2006, and going on to play on the top of his game for the next 2 years. Why the likes of Manjrekar find no fault in a 41-year old Gilchrist leading the Kings XI Punjab. IPL is the only form of cricket that Gilchrist plays every year, not even bothering to participate in his country's domestic T20 bash. Yet, he remains the holy cow while Ganguly emerges as the favorite scapegoat.

Sourav has been training hard for four months now, playing in the domestic circuit, and in the process leading Bengal to its maiden Vijay Hazare trophy win. He is a born leader, who can walk into a side solely on his superlative captaincy skills. His batting, still, is better than many of those who are being paid millions of dollars in the IPL. There is no reason why Sourav Ganguly can not do to Pune, what Warne did to Rajasthan. In fact, he has a much better side at his disposal with the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Clarke, Jesse Ryder, Marlon Samuels, Robin Utthappa, Luke Wright and Rahul Sharma in the ranks.

But its not the team which makes Ganguly a formidable force. It's he himself, the never ending fairytale, which makes 'Dada' rise like a phoenix every time he is written off completely. He is very excited about this year's IPL and has been given a free hand by the team owners. At the ripe age of 39, he still has the same self-belief, aggression and passion for the game. Let's get it right- Sourav ganguly has nothing to prove anymore. He could have easily sat in the commentary box, sharing a few laughs with Shashtri or that stupid man Manjrekar. It is only the passion for the game of cricket, which is still driving Sourav Ganguly. Albeit on a high, he retired a bit pre-maturely in 2008. IPL gives him a chance to give back to the game and to the people who still have faith in him.

I am not expecting the moon from Sourav Ganguly and Pune Warriors this year. But rest assured, it will not be a meek surrender either. Sourav will play hard, play for his pride and inspire some good performances from the youngsters. He may not be the same batsman anymore, but he remains the same motivational leader, a fierce competitor and a dedicated student of the game. Cynics have come and gone while Sourav has quietly scripted some most unimaginative successes in his glorious cricketing career. And perhaps it is this never say never attitude, which makes Sourav Ganguly an ageless wonder.

I will not get into prediction business, as far as Pune's fortunes in this IPL is concerned. But I can firmly say that Sourav Ganguly will be the man who will ensure that Pune end this IPL with their heads held high. Trust me when I say this, (and you should certainly not trust someone like Sanjay Manjrekar)- Never Write Sourav Ganguly Off.

The Next Great Indian Batsman?

As a cricket lover who grew up watching the exploits of the 'Holy Trinity', the idea of 'life' after them was very discouraging. I had torrid time coping with the reality that Sourav Ganguly will no more play for India. Thankfully, that machine called Sachin still runs on and Dravid also has some cricket left in him. In between, there were plenty of brilliant displays by Laxman and Sehwag in test cricket, but nothing matched that sheer charisma and divine nature of play that Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly displayed. As the curtain slowly draws on the careers of remaining two of the trinity, one question props up in the mind- Who will be the next big batting star from India?

We have a tradition (and reputation) of producing world-class batsmen over the years. From Gavaskar to Tendulkar, Indian batsmen have been merchants of unmatched craft and acumen. So, who will carry the baton forward? In this age of IPL, do we have the talent that can match the exploits of these greats?

While discussing about the next great Indian batsman, few names automatically come to the mind. Virender Sehwag has a terrific test record and highest ODI score ever to his credit, but he is way too wayward and careless to be crowned a 'great' of the game. Moreover, his ODI record is very mediocre and he also lacks consistency and right temperament.

Second name that comes to the mind is that of Southpaw Yuvraj Singh, who is currently recovering from illness. In the past few years, he has emerged as a great One-day cricketer, winning the coveted Man of the Tournament title at the last year's world cup. But his Test performances have been way below par and with age no more very much on his side, he seems to be more of a 'one-day' wonder. Third name on the list is that of Gautam Gambhir, who has emerged as India's opening mainstay in both Tests and ODIs. But Gambhir lacks the flair, elegance and charm of a great batsman. Yes, he has a very consistent record in all the formats of the games, but something stops him from making that transition from a 'very good' batsman to a great batsman.

It is in this regard that a certain Virat Kohli catches my imagination. And, I am not saying this only on the merit of his herculean effort at Hobart. Virat's silken stroke play reminds me of young Sachin, his grit and resolve matches Dravid's steely nerves and his temperament and attitude resembles that of Sourav Ganguly. Yes, 3 in 1 may sound pretty cheesy and romantic, but those who have followed Virat's rise over the last couple of years, would know what I am talking about!

 Virat has everything that it takes to be a great batsman. He has already emerged as one of the India's best finishers in ODIs, averaging more than 55 while batting second. Also, it's not a mere co-incidence that he happens to be the only Indian who has scored a century, in both Tests and ODI tri-series, on the current Australian tour. He always looks hungry to succeed, there is a streak of fire in his eyes. More importantly, he is also a quick learner and represents the new breed of Indian cricketers who never say never. All of this indicates that he could well be India's future captain too.

But, the stamp of greatness on Virat Kohli will acquire its true color when he matches his immense talent with more incredible and consistent performances. He will have to cement his place in the Test team and may be take up the respectable no. 3 slot. Time will judge Kohli on the basis of how many matches he wins for India and how convincingly does he win over himself. Being young is both a privilege and a liability in sports. India has seen too many young stars who flatter to deceive and fail to cope with their new found stardom. Kohli is sending all the right vibes, and no wonder this cricket-crazy nation is seeing a hero in him.

So, if the script unfolds as per the promise of the synopsis, we just may have found the The Next Great Indian Batsman.

Where the Mind 'Was' Without Fear...

As a school kid, I often wondered why West Bengal was called 'West' Bengal when it was located on the Eastern side of India. A concrete answer was elusive until a subject called history made a quiet entry in my academic life, perhaps in class VI.

With time I came to know about Bengal's glorious past and how it played a pivotal role in shaping India's history. Other than the fact that Calcutta served as the capital of British Raj for several years, Bengal was intertwined in almost every significant historical landmark that India crossed. Right from the first war of Independence in 1857 to the tragic partition in 1947. From Bose to Rajaram Mohun Roy, Bengalis contributed immensely to the cause of One India and 'Indian-ness'.

Gradually as my knowledge and understanding of the world started to take some vague shape, I started to appreciate the likes of Rabindranath Tagore and Bankimchandra. They were not only great artists and carriers of the lantern of knowledge in the dark days of British Rule, but were in fact somewhat ahead of their times. Somehow, I always put Tagore and Socrates in the same league, they shaped conscience, philosophy and outlook of their respective countries.

And like any other common Indian, Films caught my imagination once I was an adolescent. Here also Bengal was ruling the roost with likes of Kishore Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Mithun, the list is almost endless. As a student of Film Making in my graduation days, a man called Satyajeet Ray was definitely the most talked about, may be along with a certain Alfred Hitchcock. Art, music, literature (Devdas!), colors (Durga Puja), life, happiness Bengal was simmering with every divine aspect of human existence. (Also, somewhere around 1999, Sourav Ganguly bewitched me).

But every shadow of white is accompanied by a tinge of red. Nothing in this world is spotless. Bengal learned this fact quite literally by getting itself embroiled in the Red Cauldron for 34 long years. Freedom of expression was brutally suppressed in a regime that thrived on an obsolete ideology. Wheels of development came to a screeching halt in the state, which was once the fountainhead of India's growth and industrialization. Lathi & cadre Raj took center stage in lives of modest and soft spoken Bengalis who relished ink, brush-strokes and strings.

Nadir is an understatement for what Bengal achieved in 34 years of Left Rule. Cultural decimation, intellectual erosion and mental repression were the gifts presented by a ruthless communist regime in the garb of socialism and poor-protectionism.

Mamata Banerjee might not be the best orator, she might lack the quintessential charm and polish of a politician, but she surely is a fighter. A street fighter who has risen above all odds, taking blows after blows, to fulfill a dream that looked impossible to be realized. The lady who wears simple cotton Saris, bathroom slippers and carries a small little world in her Jhola has definitely created history by toppling the longest ruling, democratically elected (sadly) Left regime. 

Its time for her to celebrate, relax and unwind. She deserved every bit of it after fighting relentlessly for all these years. History awaits her transition from a dogged fighter to an able administrator.

Boria Majumdar: IPL's showcase face-off

An impending battle between KKR owner Shahrukh Khan and his former skipper Saurav Ganguly will be a treat for sore eyes in the IPL.

By Boria Majumdar

I have been grumbling for a while that the IPL isn’t just taking off. No major controversy yet, the usual suspects performing, no major organizational lapse, expected drop in television ratings given the cricket calendar and also the killing of Osama Bin Laden, which had taken over the world of news across the globe the past week.

Amidst all of this there was one piece of news that helped light up the IPL horizon—Saurav Ganguly making yet another comeback as a Warrior and will be padding up against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on 19 May. Yes the Warriors are languishing at the bottom of the IPL table given their inability to close out matches from winning positions but that doesn’t take anything away from this very special contest, one between Bengal and Kolkata perhaps.

Ganguly is still the single biggest icon in my part of the world in the East and it is an ethnography worth doing to check how many in Bengal supports Pune on the 19th with their favorite son playing for the Pune outfit against KKR. It will be a different version of the Tebbit Test, city loyalty versus individual charisma, support for the city team versus love for an individual. Signs are it will be a very close contest with Kolkata and Bengal deeply divided on the issue.

Knowing Saurav Ganguly well it is only foolish to write him off. Having said that, it is a fight that is going to be the most difficult of his career, a reality he knows only too well. When he made his fairytale comeback in 2006, he was an international cricketer and was in constant touch with the game. Even when he answered the Buchanan snub in 2010, he had played a lot of domestic cricket leading up to the IPL and coupled with his incredible mental resolve was favorite once again do it at IPL stage.

2011, however, is different. Saurav hasn’t played much domestic cricket at all in the lead up to the competition. The call up, to quote one of his closest aides, was “totally unexpected.” In fact, when Warriors team Director Abhijit Sarkar, the brain behind this move, called him on the Sunday night, he was almost in bed! That he got his kit out after the hour long conversation with Sarkar only proves how much he was craving for this opportunity, the most important factoid that makes the contest on the 19th a really special one. Saurav sweated it out at the Eden for more than three hours on Monday morning and has been practicing twice a day for hours since he joined the team on Wednesday, 4th May.

For him it is not about money. As he has himself said on many occasions, it doesn’t matter whether he gets his 400,000 USD or not. What does matter is can he redeem himself? Can he avenge the ill treatment meted out to him at the IPL auction and can he demonstrate for one final time that there’s some cricket left in him?

Can he still face up to Brett Lee on a bouncy DY Patil track and prove his critics wrong? It is all about reputation and that’s what has made the contest the real big face off between the country’s two leading icons, Shahrukh Khan and Saurav Ganguly. Pune Warriors and KKR have suddenly turned incidental to the whole script with these two leading entertainers taking center stage.

For Khan and his men Ganguly will provide that extra incentive to perform, not to mention the opportunity to make the play offs. If they are able to get Ganguly cheaply, their owner, more than anyone else, will breathe a sigh of relief for anything to the contrary and he will have to answer a million questions when he makes it to Kolkata before the match against the Mumbai Indians on the 22nd.

The stakes, one must admit, are high making it the IPL’s showcase face off, something that the tournament was badly in need of. Let’s hope the days leading up to this contest will spice it up further. It might well be that the match turns a must win for Kolkata to make the next stage while a loss against Pune might yet again shatter Shahrukh Khan’s dream of winning the coveted IPL trophy. Neither Khan nor Ganguly will want to lose this one. Yes, this is what sport is all about. A captivating tale of high intense drama with more than credibility is at stake. I, as a fan, can’t wait for this one to unfold.

Courtesy: Boria Majumdar/Sports.ndtv.com

Story of Knight Riders-2

Almost everything was right about KKR, a larger than life owner, an extremely popular "Idol", competent support staff and a mind-blowing marketing & campaigning team. Due to its association with King Khan, KKR was never short of media limelight. There were promotional songs, themes, merchandise and even a reality show. Everything was just so perfect expect for the 'playing part'.

Knight Riders came out croppers on the field, loosing matches after matches, some close ones, some one-sided. They started off IPL with a bang, largely due to Mcullum's heroics, but soon fizzled out like air from a cola bottle. Frictions emerged within the team when John Buchanan took over as coach in the 2^nd edition of IPL. Multiple-captain theory and several other bizarre ideas came out of that wise mind of the Aussie. Saurav Ganguly was sidelined  and his own performance dipped alarmingly. (He performed well in the first IPL). And there was an asshole called Fake IPL Player too.

KKR hoped for a new beginning in the 3^rd edition by handing over the captaincy to Saurav again. The team did better than previous two editions, but was woefully inconsistent. Semifinals dream was not fulfilled and sad journey of the Knight Riders seemed endless.

KKR owners were licking their wounds when time for IPL re-auction arrived. Their prestige in market was at stake despite the fact that franchise was making decent profits. After all, its not money which always matters. Saurav Ganguly was not bought by KKR. For the records, he was KKR's highest run-getter in IPL 3 and was 4th overall.

Shah Rukh has every right to expect that his team performs well. He has invested his money, faith and time in the endeavor and there is no harm in seeking some returns. If Saurav's non-selection in KKR disappointed his fans, cold shoulder by other franchises made matters worst. Moreover, the manner in which he was dumped was quite unceremonious. He would have definitely performed better, even if he played with right-hand, than many of the 'never-heard-before' players who were sold during the auction. For the records, even likes of Md. Kaif and Sreedharan Sreeram were sold.

I wish Saurav was taken into confidence before this decision was arrived at. SRK should have talked to him and offered him the mentor's role way before the actual auction. This would have helped in retention of basic fan-base for KKR. As things stand today, KKR faces an uphill task of performing well in the IPL, coping with disgruntled Kolkata fans and bringing in some crowd at Eden. Those empty stands in Eden Gardens tell the entire story. Shah Rukh Khan could have easily handled the Ganguly issue a bit more maturely. By dissociating himself from KKR's cricketing affairs, he did a wise thing. But he should have realized, Saurav Ganguly is not a mere cricketer. He lives deep inside Bengal's heart.

I wish KKR does well this season. Shah Rukh Khan deserves some glory after three years of selfless cheering and support. He says, KKR wants to win the IPL for Dada. Dada fans say, No Dada, No IPL.

There are some serious emotions involved here. Someone's pride, someone's hurt ego and a million's anger. And for me, this is the most stunning cocktail on offer, this IPL season.

Story of Knight Riders-1

Bengal has always been a sports loving state. Not long ago, it used to be power center of Indian sports, be it football or cricket. But soon, new centers of sports, especially cricket, emerged across the country and Baroda, Mumbai, Chennai & Bangalore started matching Calcutta's steps. This entire phenomenon was also accompanied by gradual decline in charm & prowess of Bengali society. Clutches of Marxism siphoned out vigor and enthusiasm of Bengal, and its glory and status as India’s intellectual & sports hotbed waned.

After MAK Pautadi, Saurav Ganguly was the only Bengali cricketer to make an impact in the international arena. He not only went on to become India’s best-ever left-handed batsman, world’s leading One-Day cricketer and Nation’s most successful captain, but also reignited the lost Bengali Pride. Prince of Calcutta became poster boy of the state and made heavy inroads in the conscience of an average Bengali.

Ganguly’s rise, fall and the final phoenix like resurrection became a part of the Bengali folkfore and the state was simply not ready to think beyond him. Blame it on dearth of idols in Bengali society or sheer love for their favorite son, Bengal wished to have Saurav in its life in any and every capacity. 

But all heroes are mortal and every medicine has an expiry date. When the time of Saurav’s retirement from cricket arrived, Bengal was appalled and unable to face the reality. Dada exited gracefully from international cricket, though many say that he had a couple of years left in him. Bengal took Saurav’s decision to retire in its stride but found a new ray of hope in form of Indian Premier League.

It was potentially the most lethal combination IPL could ever imagine. Shah Rukh Khan, India’s reigning Superstar and Saurav Ganguly, cricket’s adorable spoiled kid, joined hands to form the Kolkata Knight Riders. The franchise hoped to cash on Saurav’s unmatched popularity in Kolkata and SRK’s unbeatable charisma. However, three editions since 2008, proved that every tempting beginning does not have a fairytale ending.

KKR languished at the bottom of IPL tree for all its 3 editions. Controversies, Saurav’s step-brother, surfaced from nowhere and the going became extremely tough for the Knigh Riders…

To Be Continued..