Sourav Ganuly has fucked off.
He is going to give it the goodbye tour and then we never have to watch him look nervous around short balls again.
His kind has been sapping the lifeblood out of our kind since jesus was a gleam in mose’s eye.
I know I should write some long and vitriolic piece about how Ganguly is an over rated chunk of racoon sperm.
But, who cares.
The Lizard is going.
So some Indians will be happy.
Some will be sad.
And the rest of us really won’t give a shit.
That is a legacy.
Goodbye you Reptilian Martian, enjoy your stupidly named IPL team, and let the men play the real stuff.
He spent last week getting run out by James Marshall and being dismissed by Bradley Scott (ave pace 121kph) in an “A” international so he’ll be lucky to make it through the farewell tour.
BTW, a sad day for the NZ limosuine driving industry.
Surely they cannot play him? The guy was Brad Hogg’s bunny for christ’s sake
You reckon he got a word of your last week poll results?
Say what Jrod he is the only captain in the world that the australians were freakin scared of. Remember he never lost a test series against australia. Even in 04 home series it was dravid captaining. U can talk about his injury being fake. But he wasn’t dere means he wasn’t dere. If he was a giant alien lizard freak den he was probably god of alien lizards. For whatever he did for cricket in general and india in particular, he demands ‘respect.’ Come on, at least he ain’t no probot. I will rather watch him play some wicked offside shots and den lose his balls to a short one for a 30 sumthin den watchin, say michael hussey, score one more borin hundered. Thanks lord snooty. it was a good time havin u.
Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.-Lazurus LongIn 2005, he was not ready to hang up his boots.No doubt however that he deserved to be dropped.But he definitely did not deserve to have the end-chapter of his career written for him.That too in the midst of the humiliation and the unfounded allegations of injury-faking that Chappell and Kiran More had tried to muddy his legacy with, helped in no small measure by small-minded, crooked mediamen (I have said enough of these people in my blogs before), smarting from having cold-shouldered in the past by Sourav.And he most definitely did not deserve to not even be given a chance for redemption (The chief selector famously said that as long as he called the shots, there was no way that Sourav Ganguly would come back).Sourav however did get a chance when the selection committee changed and political re-alignments took place in the board. And he, in a manner that makes him the icon that he is, wiped black tar on the faces of his detractors (and not for the first time one may add) with a remarkable, fairy-tale comeback in which he played some of the most consistent and sparkling cricket of his whole career (including a master performance on a wicked pitch against South Africa).Whether Ganguly as a man is still ready to go, of his own volition, I doubt. But he realizes, in the words of Edgar Allan Poe: “The life of the ebony clock has gone out”. Having been dropped from the Irani trophy, the very fact that he was allowed to come back into the Test matches was indication enough—-he was taken on the understanding that this was to be his farewell series, his last bow.While some may argue, and I am one of them, that based on recent performance he should not have been the first of India’s greatest generation of batsmen to be put to pasture, it is undeniable that all four of them are now living on borrowed time. However things being as they are and with Narendra Hirwani a grand poo-bah now (folks may recall that Hirwani once accused Ganguly of having destroyed his “career”—if one sensational Test followed by a few mediocre ones and an appearance on a national integration song can be called a career) there was a high chance that things would get ugly and personal real soon. Given that risk , Sourav has wisely decided that this is one battle that he is better off sitting out.After all, once “there is nothing left to try, there is no greater power than the power of goodbye”So good bye it is.It is strange this strong emotional connect we feel with sportsmen, a bond even stronger for those sportsmen you grew up with (for instance I do not think I will ever feel this kind of connection with Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina simply because I evaluate them in a more “mature” way than I would do Dada or Sachin or as I used to Azhar). The ones for whom you put down your books, against your better judgment, the night before the exam. The ones for whom you stayed up all night, even knowing about the early train that needs catching. The ones whom you argued for (and against) with your friends over a cup of tea on rainy afternoons.All these makes it that much difficult for us to let go of these childhood heroes in the same way as it is to throw in the bin an old beaten-up cockroach-eaten teddy bear or the first cricket bat you ever owned. Not so much because of Ganguly the person (after all I do not know him) or the bit of rickety wood with the picture of Sunil Gavaskar on it, but because of how much of yourself is in those things. That is why we try to cling desperately to these relics from the past, by keeping it in the bottom of the trunk or by saying that surely he could have played another two years.But one day the trunk does have to be cleaned and old players have to make that last walk into the shadows.And all that remains are misty-eyes. And memories.Memories of Sourav, thin and tense, languidly placing Mullally through the offside at Lords. Or of him in that magical autumn in Toronto when he single-handedly vanquished a far superior Pakistan team. Or of his carelessly nonchalant mega-sixes off Muralidharan. Or of him charging at an at-his-prime Shaun Pollock as he ran into bowl. Or of him leading from the front with that 144 in Australia after being written off. Or of him coming back gun blazing after his second wilderness, culminating in a Vishwanath-like performance on a minefield of a pitch against South Africa.And most importantly memories of Sourav walking the earth with barely controlled aggression—the kind that made you stand up from your sofa and shout “Give it to those bastards”. Of never backing down from a fight. Of taking off his shirt in the holiest of holies, giving a metaphorical middle-finger salute to the Old Boys of Lords. Of uniting a team torn asunder by match-fixing and welding them into a team that, win or lose, would never give up.If there is one enduring legacy of Dada, it is that he taught an almost perennially defeatist Indian cricket team “to believe” (For those who have sat through wimpy, gutless Indian performances through the 80s will appreciate even more the truth of this statement). You can see that reflection of self-belief in the new generation of players—-most of all in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who while being very different from Ganguly in every respect, still has a lot of “Dada” in him.Why just the Indian cricket team? Putting on my pop sociologist cap, let me say that Sourav’s place in history, more than as a cricketer, is because he embodied the “in your face” spirit of the economically resurgent nation of the 1990s-2000s— a young nation eager to throw off the Gandhian ideal of turning the other cheek, a confident nation no longer ashamed to pay back the opposition in its own currency.In that respect, he was a symbol for his times.Goodbye old friend. Go gently into the night.{Images courtesy Times of India and Outlook India}Article courtesy – “Greatbong”
JRod is this your “pissed off” day? first Warne and now Ganguly? Is it just me or do u sound more aggressive than usual? ;-)Some Ganguly fans want to leave their mark here!
It’s not about leaving a mark here! It’s about the Cricketer he was and his achievements….Do you guys remember the 2001 series where australians were made to look vulnerable..He was the man who made it happen…He brought the team together.
siddharth,Interesting take there.Admittedly I’m neither Aussie or Indian, but when looking back at that 2001 series I think Harby, Laxman, Dravid, the fact that Warne got smacked.But I don’t really think of Ganguly.And being a NZer I think of Wright and his quotes.Like: “When I pass VVS in the corridor I say thanks”I’ve never heard him say anything about Ganguly
Spot on Leg Break, VVS and Dravid are whats etched on every ones mind, except maybe Sidarth.Gonguly who?Ill always remember him for his offside play, and lofted beats off spinners and getting up the Aussie noses. Nothing more nothing less.
damith;He got up NZers’ noses during the tour here in 2002/3.That travelling round in the limo while his team-mates (inc SRT) went on the bus wasn’t a great look
Poopsie, remember the good old days when Brad Hogg played. D, Probably. Yad, Australia was far more afraid of Ranatunga and Fleming. The one that scared them in 2001 and now is VVS, because they don’t get him. And read this, and compare it to what i wrote about Shaun POllock on his going away, i think you will find i was alot more aggressive to that probot. Sid, it’s a well written chunk, but it doesn’t mention any of his flaws, and when a man has as many as Sourav, that makes it a flawed argument. The 2001 team was made to look vulnerable by a partnership that haunted them, and not even ganguly could take credit for that. Q, i thought i was well restrained in this one.
Ankit, sorry i deleted your comment, because it was already put up by sid. Yad, i forgot to put that Shaun Pollock Link on the other comment.
“how Ganguly is an over rated chunk of racoon sperm”"Goodbye you Reptilian Martian”"enjoy your stupidly named IPL team”"let the men play the real stuff.”Well restrained?Well maybe!
Jrod, it is the ones most similiar to you that you hate the most, because you see yourself in them and cannot handle it!You are like Ganguly, just like he could not handle the short ball, you cannot handle the fact that he takes off his shirt and used the f word at the holiest of cricket grounds. Before Ganguly, Indian could beat any side but it was more flattering to deceive. The consistency, the self belief and determination, a collective flock outlook and giving back what you got and more was purely his contribution. We have enjoyed him, watching Rahul Dravid and Ganguly at Lords you knew they were special, that they had come to stay. Cannot say the same for todays lads, I will say only about Rohit Sharma, but its been a year and he has not done enough to justify his promise.
He was given the captaincy when the Indian team was guilty of match fixing – led in it by their then captain.He was given the captaincy because it was predicted he was bound to fail.He didn’t.He created a team and breathed a fighting spirit into it. To the dismay of many who made presented him the captaincy, he was firmly in control.The knives were out.They wanted their team back, without Ganguly. He was on the hit list even before Chappell came on to the scene. What followed in More-Chappell-Dravid era was a shameful era in our recent history that many have so conveiently forgotten … and quickly.To non-Indians here I will only say, cricket is also about fairness and honesty. I hope you have judged him in honest fairness to write any derogatory comments.I hope you are aware of the internal regional politics that is Indian international cricket. It can destroy anything good in a team to grab what they greed for, be it money or simply power.It is unfortunate for him that he captained the Indian team. He would have had an easier career in many other teams I can think of.To judge his legacy without being aware of what he has been through in his career is grossly unfair.Unless the only reason for such vitriolic comments is that he successfully rubbed you all the wrong way. Yay for him.BTW – Legbreak, you judge a player’s entire career by repeatedly harping on a single episode – where he had travelled on a limo – probably at his own cost. Can you say for certain no other captain in the entire history of cricket has ever been guilty of accepting preferential treatment?There are many achievements I will remember him for – but I will always derive the most pleasure from the way he exposed Greg Chappell as a fraud.
Alex, 1. I don’t know how long you have been reading this site, but if you think i don’t like ganguly because he took his shirt off and swore you are mistaken. Other than the fact I don’t want to see his chest, i don’t mind that, and the holiest of cricket grounds for me is the MCG and the word fuck is used there about a billion times. 2. As for me being like Ganguly, i will say this, everywhere i have got in life has been through hard work, never giving up, improving my flaws, and trying my best. Ganguly is a rich spoilt brat who has been carried by others and had more chances than others who have deserved them more, who never worked at his game until he was dropped and generally thought he was better than others. Chinaman, The big question is, did he play for personal glory, or team victory? Was he willing to tough it out when things got tough? Did he try and improve his game against short bowling? Is he someone you want in your trench? The limousine is just one story where he placed himself above others who were harder workers and better players. And you say it would have been easier for him to play for another country?How many other countries would have put up with his Prince routine? He batted on flat tracks most of his career and still averaged 41 batting in the middle order.How many other players would have been kept on when almost all there centuries were scored in draws. How many other countries would have allowed a player to ride separately to his team?You say politics caused him problems, i say his attitude to cricket would have caused him more in other teams.There is no other major cricket team in the world where he would have played anywhere near this amount of tests.
In my trench? You bet I will. I will only have those in my trench who I can trust.Hey, you are expressing an opinion based on what you know, so am I. It just maybe we know differently.He was a player who faced short-pitched stuff on the pitch and as well from his management. He was sidelined after his debut till he got a chance in 96 in England – not a flat track. He got in to play but not as first choice. He proved beyond doubt his capabilities with the very first innings. And followed it with another in the following test. Any team that value capability would have helped him build on it. Are you aware the BCCI management depends on which political party is in power in the Indian Parliament? That a cricketers fortunes changes accordingly?When BJP lost to congress in a general election – the BCCI power shifted from BJP supported Dalmiya (east) to Congress supported Pawar (west) as a result.That with a shift in power the whole structure of management – and team also changes?Indian cricket management has always controlled by the West-zone – the Bombay group. Ganguly was not. Those from elsewhere has traditionally received unfair deals. As did he.Are you aware of how many players from East zone makes it to the national team, or why he is the only captain ever from there? His initial successes as captain was not anticipated – and he became a target for non-cricket reasons. Do you expect a player to go out and perform to his best if he has to fight everyday with his management? Come on, do you not believe in player psychology?Play for personal glory or team victory. When team selections are based on a players state of origin and stats are the criteria for inclusion and the excuse for exclusion, how many players do you know who would put team before person? You yourself are quoting averages in judging his capabilities.He supported Chappell’s appointment – because he honestly thought he might be able to correct his flaws. He couldn’t have anticipated what followed – India has always had a captain predominant over coach. Chappell himself has interviewed that he removed Ganguly in a power struggle. He found the internal factions in the Indian management, and took full advantage of it. He took full advantage of the powershift from Dalmiya to Pawar to be able to achieve what he wanted. Pawar and his cronies used Chappell to oust Ganguly – something they had been trying for few years.Chappell was proved wrong quite spectacularly – and shamelessly tried to take credit for Ganguly’s comeback.Himself over players?Never. Players like Harbhajan, yuvraj, Sehwag would not have spoken up for him if he had. they did so at risk of their own career. A captain who rides a limo in my book is lot better than a captain who will have in his team players who will co-operate with his matchfixings.In Indian cricket there are wheels with wheels within wheels. Unlike his predecessors he stood up for cricket and his players. Many of us Indians respect him for being brave enough to stand up to a corrupt, dishonest establishment – poisoned by inter-regional hatred. We know what he really achieved and will always have a different opinion about him. His stats do not portray his achievements.We are cricket enthusiasts, shouldn’t fairness be a priority? What I am saying is to judge him without knowing what he has gone through is not fair.Its not cricket.
Chinaman, It’ all opinion Chinaman, you don’t know the truth anymore than i do, and you are also biased, like you said the other day, towards a school chum, but first things first, this is a cricket site, and as a cricketer he was average. I judge cricketers here everyday, i don’t always know their history, what’s going on in their head, or what their wife said to them, i judge them by what goes on out on the pitch. And By that standard i think Sourav is over rated, and just an average test match batsman who found a way to keep himself in test cricket. As a captain he obviously knew how to lead men, but as a strategist he was weak. That is how i judge him.Am i right or wrong, you say I’m wrong, others say I am right. There is no truth, only opinion. Off the field, well anyone who can play over 100 tests with a average of 40 must know how to play politics himself. And you say politics like they only happen in India, Michael Slater and Dean Jones were both better batsmen than Ganguly, and both were pushed out of their team by internal player politics, which proves you don’t need to be an official to play politics. Your belief seems to be that he i better than a match fixer, so thats ok. I believe India deserves better than a man who won’t ride with his soldiers. In places like AUstalia and New Zealand we wouldn’t accept that. Good luck getting him from the officers tent to the trench i say.
Captain Darling from Blackadder IV JRod?China,Apologies for bringing up the limos story again, but your view of a player is going to be highlighted by what happened when that player was in your country. No escaping that.I will say this though. Someone upthread said they’d have Ganguly over a Probot any day.And that’s true; this is a up there for the best set of comments on here.
All i can say is, the guy was an entertainer. Even his struggle against short ball was more entertaining than,say, a borin bollywood flick. Since i moved from india to canada, i have started looking at the game more as a mean of entertainment than a case of life or death. In terms of pure fun i rank him right up there with viru and warney for the sheer drama.I agree though that he was not even in top 10 batsmen in india, forget about the world. But in terms of captaincy he is up there alongside Steve Waugh and stephen fleming. I haven’t watched live mathces in 80s or 70s so i m only talkin about 90s onwards. Tactics can go to hell for me. Anything that results in a win counts. You may say he was lucky in terms of players available. but weren’t fab four and kumble playin together before he was captain. What did they achieve as a team. A big damn zero. Even after he was not the captain they haven’t really set the world on fire. I mean, winning against poms doesn’t even count. What else. nothing. A captain’s judged by wins. And he has a lot of them to show.
@ JRod,we are both giving opinions.Neither of us can claim to be closer to the truth than the other.There is one thing I am sure, I understand Indian cricket more than you do. And I have followed his career no less intensely than you have.I am not biased, I am being loyal to a schoolmate. I stand up for him when I find he is being unjustly abused. What I have written I can back up with web-refernces. I do know this is a cricket site. I am talking about a ‘cricketer’ and a captain – his performance and his achievements. I hope you will agree there are achievements that are never reflected in stats.If it is only his performance on the field he is being judged for, then how does limo rides become relevent – or whether he is snobbish in the dressing room.The reference to officer’s mess and the trenches too are irrelevent. At the time of his retirement, what can only be relevant is what he did do for Indian cricket. Please let us Indians decide that. I am stopping here, you have an unexplanable deep seated hatred towards him – nothing will shift that hatred.A cricket website, JRod?Where is the fairness. Why the unnecessary abuse?
What did people argue about before Ganguly came along?
@ JRod,I have said it is the hatred you have that I find unexplanable, almost personal. Not your writing or your reasoning or your opinions – you have your right to express yourself. Yes, you abuse other players – I do not get involved, most times I do not even know of the incidents you write about.Ganguly is one player whose career I have followed very closely. Like I have followed the politics of Indian cricket. I have also explained why I am writing today – I have argued in his cause for the last two years. Neither of us have first hand knowledge. But I am not the one calling anyone names purely on hearsay. What if some of what you allege on hearsay is untrue? What if some of what I have written, that you have brushed aside, is true. It is possible, is it not?There is no right or wrong on this issue. But your opinion and your hatred do not equate.Nonsense? Perhaps. It is my opinion – and I still cannot explain the intensity of your hatred for an “over-rated” cricketer who has never done you any harm, someone you probably have never met.
Chinaman, you say that you don’t understand the hatred of Ganguly. My impression since 2001 has been that Ganguly wants to be hated, ever since he turned up late for the toss in his training gear. He deliberately tried to get under the skins of the Australian players.He wants to be hated, we hate him, everyone’s happy.
China, I feel great love, i feel great hate, i feel the bulge in my pants, that is how i write this site, and how i have for 1500 posts now.DB, I would think that Ganguly would enjoy being called a giant alien lizard, puts him up there Bush, Thatcher, and Prince Charles.
@ JRod,I do not doubt or question the passion that come through in your articles. To love and hate with intensity, I accept that too – I too am guilty of it. I try to base it on justified reasons. I stay open to evidence from others and am happy to change my stance if I find my opinion was based on incomplete/inaccurate information.That is what I asked.For fairness.It is unfair if negative feelings towards the player makes one ignore the positives that are written, by people who know him, played with and against him – for there has to be some truth in what they say.
@ Dave Barry,that is fine – if you admit you hate him for a specific incident. He did that deliberately he gave back as good as he got. – and from what you write he was successful.Do you hate the cricketer?or do you hate the person?Should we hate every player for everything they do or say on the field?Then every player indulging in sledging becomes open to legitimate abuse – in whatever form, racial or otherwise – from others – from the stands, media or on the net.If racoon sperm and lizard is acceptable – what is wrong with monkey?
Because Monkey is a racist term. And Giant Alien Lizard and racoon sperm are not.
JRod, U absolute nitwit, spastic… U dont f*ckin understand cricket, do u?Forgot the century on debut? Wich ur Steve Waugh cudnt manage (his bro did)Forgot the ass whipping he gave ur guys in Brisbane… 141.. rings a bell, eh?Forgot how scared outta shit all ozzie bastards used to be of him??N dnt forget dat u won the last series just coz ur team cheated to win./..Like ponting did again strday..I guess that should be expected of u… given that ur ancestors were English prisoners
Wake, are you an Australian masquerading as an Indian for gag value?One century (in a drawn test no less) in 36 outings would not make many people shit scared.In a team full of great batsmen Ganguly was nothing other than ordinary
Wake, thanks for reading.