God alone on off-side..

“On the off-side, there is God and then there is Sourav.” This is how Rahul Dravid once described Dada. He could not have said it any better. For years the opposing teams deployed an army of fielders on the off-side and Sourav pierced that wall with pin point precision. All left handed batsmen are a delight to watch due to the natural grace that they have in their strokes. Dada’s off-side play was possibly several notches above the rest. The Nagpur Test was the last time when the “Fab Four” of the Indian cricket played together. It was the last test match for Sourav Ganguly and quite appropriately India won the Test match and the series. One also got a to see a final glimpse of Dada of the past when MSD temporarily handed him the captaincy after taking the 9th wicket. What a great thing to do! Both of them probably play the game from their hearts and therefore they don’t hold back anything.

Dada’s exit was as dramatic as his cricketing career. Almost scored a century in the first innings but got out against the run of the play on 85. He would have joined an elite club of individuals scoring a century on debut and in the last match. As things turned out, he did join an exclusive club, but of another type. He scored a Bradmanesque blob in his final innings. It was sad to see the figure of one of India’s finest captains walk back slowly to the pavilion.

Sourav brought spunk to Indian cricket. He changed the way we Indians looked at the opposition in the past. Under him we were not the underdogs who always looked at the other foreign players in awe and considered them superior. He played the game as an equal and was never bogged down with the status of the opposition. Therefore in his books it was perfectly OK to make Steve Waugh wait for the toss or to take his shirt off on the famous Lord’s balcony. He led the team by example and his tone-setting century at the Gabba on the 2003-04 tour of Australia will be remembered for a long long time. He was expected to face “sweet chin music” from the Oz pacers, but he came out and attacked every short pitched delivery aimed at his rib cage.

Controversies have also always followed Sourav on and off the cricket pitch. In his very first overseas tour there was an alleged incident where as a reserve player he is supposed to have declined carrying drinks to the team. His bitter showdown with Greg Chapell has been well documented.

I think Indian team is going to miss this great cricketer and a colorful person. He has made Indian cricket stronger and can look back with pride as MSD continues the Indian uprising. Well played Dada, it has been a pleasure watching you bat.