Date: 10th November 2008
Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur.
As the sun goes down and the curtains fall over the first day of a new week the curtains also fall over the career of India’s most successful, bold and lion hearted cricket captain. Sourav Ganguly or DADA as we have fondly called him over the years.
I was one of the lucky few to have been at the ground to see him walk out for the last time to bat for India. The grit, the determination that we all have loved still intact on his ever so calm face. Me like a zillion others were hoping that he would get a hundred in his last test match to go with sizzling back to back to hundreds that he got in his first two tests, the first coming at the “Mecca of Cricket, Lords”. And after he got a brilliant 85 in the first innings expectations were high from him in the second innings. Sadly he got out on the first ball but the applause and the standing ovation that he got once again proved that a failure in his last test innings will not diminish the love we have for him. Yes, we all love Dada. And yes we have all hated him too at one point or the other. But the great champion that he is, he somehow managed to win over our hearts just like he won innumerable games for the country.
What makes him so special? What makes him tick? What makes him go out there time and again and prove his critics wrong? These were some of the questions that were going on in my mind as I saw him make the long walk from the pitch to the pavilion. And as he paused before entering the dressing room for the last time I knew I had my answers. He paused, turned around to look back at the ground for the last time and disappeared into the dressing room. It was the love of the game. It was raw passion and a hunger to perform. It was donning of India Colours that fired him up. It was the waving of the Tricolour that made him want to win each and every match. Agreed he did not have the talent of a Tendulkar or the technique of a Dravid but what he lacked in these departments he more than made up in the form of his grit, his determination and his never say never attitude. As for his cricketing abilities, its all summed up in a quote by his peer and friend, Rahul Dravid who once said that “On the off side first there is god and then there is Sourav Ganguly” Nothing can be said against such a statement, can it ?
No matter how many times he was down he always fought back. No matter how hard he fell he always was right back up. Who can forget the way he made his comeback after being dropped from the team. Or how can one not remember without getting misty eyed the way he lead the team to the world cup finals when the Indian team was not given any chance. Or for that matter the famous shirt waving at the Lords balcony. But my personal favourite incident of Dada will always remain something which happened off the cricket field. Infact far from it, it happened while shooting for an Adfilm for Pepsi for which he was the brand ambassador and I was his stylist(my high point of designing career). Most of the people still remember the ad and the way he says “Apne Dada ko bhoole toh nahi” still gives me the goosebumps. There was a undying love for the game, for the team and for the country there was something which went beyond love. You can watch the Ad here and know what I mean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFkJNlvtqYs&feature=related.
Its funny how he could so easily express his emotions and then bring them to life inspite of being a non actor. But I guess that happens when you do something straight from the heart. And one thing about Dada was that whatever he did, he did it straight from the heart. Or as he says from time to time “Direct dil se”. And that’s the reason why he has gone onto become one of the highest run getters in one day internationals adding to an impressive tally of over 7000 test runs too. And he wasn’t too bad with the ball either. He was Sachin’s surprise weapon against Pakistan in Toronto in 1996. In fact The Friendship Series should have been labeled The Sourav Series for the way he dominated not just one year but for all the five editions it was played. It was largely due to him that India won four times out of the five that series was played.
But to say that he is what he is only because of his exploits with the bat or the ball would be grossly unfair to the smart cricketing acumen that he has. Infact if anything, Dada will always be remembered for what he bought into Indian cricket with his unparalleled captaincy and man management skills. Under him match winning youngsters like Sehwag, Yuvraj, Kaif, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Irfan alongwith others were groomed and introduced into the team. And they responded splendidly by winning matches for the country thereby justifying his faith in them. And not only youngsters but seniors like Sachin(with whom he made the worlds best opening pair), Dravid(the duo of captain and vice captain was unparalleled in the world), Laxman and Kumble also reveled under his captaincy. Together with the team Dada made Team India a force to reckon with. Little things like a huddle at the start of the game and at the fall of every wicket, letting a player who has come up with match winning performance lead the team of the ground and encouraging a bowler going through a bad phase made him a favourite with seniors and juniors alike. Little things like him coming out to face a rampaging Brett Lee in the last few moments of 3rd day in the Melbourne test in 2003-04 instead of Sachin Tendulkar who was out for a zero in the first innings and was sitting on a pair proved that he was team man and did not hesitate to lead from the front or defend his team mates in their times of crisis. And the fact that he always put team before an individual contributed to his success. Be it dropping of another spinner for Harbhajan Singh before Australia’s tour or promoting Sehwag to open the innings with Sachin instead of himself showed that the Team is greater than the individual. A lot has been written about Ganguly’s intense rivalry with Steve Waugh but even Waugh had to admit that he was never confronted by someone like Dada.
Sourav Ganguly has been called a lot of names over the years like The God on Off Side, Most Lovable Son of Calcutta, The Prince of Kolkata, Maharaja, The Snooty Prince, etc but mine and I am sure a zillion others favourite would always be “DADA”. And as the great man bids adieu to the great game today I cant help but reminisce about the line “The Show Must Go On”. Someone will take his place in the team and in all possibility it will be someone who Dada himself has groomed but make no mistake, Dada will always be the opening batsman in our hearts along with Sachin Tendulkar on the other end, follwed by Rahul Dravid at no. 3, thrashing the bowlers all over the world.
THANK YOU MR. SOURAV GANGULY FOR ALL THE JOY AND PRIDE YOU HAVE GIVEN US. WE WILL ALWAYS MISS YOU. LOVE YOU.
Below are some articles written about “DADA” which I think you guys will enjoy reading. Have a look.
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/377000.html
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/377611.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/TOP_ARTICLE__He_Played_From_The_Heart/rssarticleshow/3692872.cms
http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com//NewsSpecial_playing_alongside_Ganguly_Tendulkar_Dravid_/articleshow/3575296.cms
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/377452.html
http://shishir.mid-day.com/note/1306/hats-off-to-you-sourav.html
http://souravganguly.net/articles/2008/This%20innings%20has%20given%20me%20the%20most%20pain%20Sourav.htm
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/372935.html
Aussies beware !!!! Dada, Jammy and Sach on the eve of departure to Australia in 2003-04.
