Stumps for Sourav

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For the Indian middle order, it has become a matter of survival, and Ganguly is the most vulnerable. If his time is indeed up, he will leave behind a rich legacy. More... Stumps for Sourav For the Indian middle order, it has become a matter of survival, and Ganguly is the most vulnerable August 20, 2008 'Faltering ambition can have various outlets: mental, physical, even technical. All of them point towards a player no longer able to take that extra step' © AFP Sorry Sourav, but the sands of time have run out. It's been an extraordinary career that deserves to be saluted and celebrated, but all good things come to an end. How many captains have led their team to a series victory over Australia, and also to a World Cup final? How many leaders have presided over a transformation in the fortunes and reputation of their team as Ganguly has done over India's? It has been an honourable contribution, but the sporting life is transient even as its memories are imperishable. All too soon the indispensable becomes the expendable. If it is over then it brings to an end a notable and productive period in Indian cricket. Beyond argument it is as captain that Ganguly will chiefly be remembered. It is not intended as an insult to his deft work with the willow, rather a recognition of his achievements as a leader. From the outset he shared with Sunil Gavaskar and Arjuna Ranatunga a willingness to pull the beards of western presumption, an amusing diversion but also a way of instilling self-esteem in his charges. To him it was not serious, for he lacked the resentment that drove along these feisty predecessors. Popularity appealed to him, but he had no truck with populism. It is not in his nature to curry favour. Insofar as he was aristocratic of manner - though not birth - it lay in his refusal to be petty or to hold grudges or to take much notice of debate. He had the confidence to be himself. It sent a powerful message to players inclined towards modesty. Yet it is a mistake to regard Ganguly as a cricketer from another age, as a man of leisure, out of place in a hectic period, an amateur lost amid professionals. After all he prospered in this age, and must therefore have fulfilled most of its numerous requirements. He has been tangential to his time, not apart from it. He has never wanted to be mechanical, yet retained respect for the hardworking run-collectors. Just that originality was his way forward. He could not succeed as another man. It doesn't mean, though, that Ganguly lacked cunning. Often his apparent disdain worked in his favour. Certainly it had a marked effect on opposing fast bowlers. Somehow the very sight of Ganguly strolling out to bat, looking disconcertingly pleased with himself, caused them to commence snorting and pawing the ground. Opposing leather flingers felt themselves affronted and vowed vengeance. Line and length were abandoned and bone-shakers were sent down, few of them directed at the stumps. By and large opposing captains encouraged the assault, and only afterwards counted the cost. Probably Ganguly had irritated them beforehand. Provocative fields were set, and the crowd became involved, egging on the aggressors or barracking for their man. Ganguly usually managed to look perplexed by all the palaver. But he knew what he was about. He had put the bowlers off their game on the way to the crease. As a rule, the lower a player bats the weaker his position. Nor is Ganguly a reliable catcher at slip, which makes him even more vulnerable than his contemporaries. Moreover his career figures give him less leeway. Dravid averages roughly 12 more runs an innings than him, and he has mostly batted in the critical position of first wicket down Had Ganguly been remotely as frail as he seemed, he could not have lasted as long, would have been broken in transit. Along the way, too, he played some of the most rousing innings the game has known. His inspirational hundred in Brisbane all those years ago confirmed the strength of his backbone, while his introductory hundred at Lord's pointed towards the sweetness of his timing. However vulnerable he looked, he kept taking the lonely journey out to bat. He advanced towards the fire, sometimes fanned its flames. Even now, his nerve has held. It is not his courage that has faltered, or his eyesight. Rather his feet that have slowed, and sometimes nowadays shots must be played before the correct position has been assumed. Perhaps, too, desire has waned, for a man only has so many performances in him before he starts feeling the pinch. Faltering ambition can have various outlets: mental, physical, even technical. All of them point towards a player no longer able to take that extra step. In the field Ganguly has become a plod. His running between wickets is similarly sluggish, so much so that an alarmed look comes over his face when a partner so much as suggests a quick single. A devotee of silence might as well be given a gossip magazine. It all points towards the lowering of the curtain. If the Sri Lankan series is anything to go by, India cannot wait any longer to shake up its prestigious middle order. Yet a collective deterioration was already underway. Although it did not get much attention amid the other hue and cry, Ganguly and Rahul Dravid faltered in Australia. In Dravid's case bad luck played a part in his downfall; his dismissal in Perth was questionable and his ejection in Sydney was downright disgraceful. No such license could be given to Ganguly, who was dismissed at the SCG by a catch that may have been doubtful - though the edge was clear-cut. Meanwhile others scored piles of runs, not least Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. It'd be madness to drop either of them. But the setbacks in Sri Lanka brought matters to a head. Several factors lay behind the failures. Obviously it is easier to open the batting in that neck of the woods than to walk to the wicket with two clever spinners operating in tandem. But Test batsmen must adjust their games to meet whatever challenges arise. These senior players did not apply their experience or live up to their reputations. Nor did their outfielding or work between the wickets have much to commend it. By and large Ganguly was the worst offender. Ganguly is a batsman who gets under the bowlers' skins easily, but his leadership will remain his biggest legacy © Getty Images Accordingly the time has come to break up the most resourceful and capable middle order India has known. Since several batsmen failed it might seem unfair to pick on Ganguly. As a rule, though, the lower a player bats the weaker his position. Nor is Ganguly a reliable catcher at slip, which makes him even more vulnerable than his contemporaries. Moreover his career figures give him less leeway. Dravid averages roughly 12 more runs an innings than him, and he has mostly batted in the critical position of first wicket down. Much the same applies to Tendulkar. India ought to think long and hard before replacing him. Laxman, too, batted superbly in Australia, and sometimes held the lower order together in the most recent series. It also worked for him that he did not play as an icon player in the IPL. Failures of any sort take a toll on a player's morale, and both Dravid and Ganguly fell short of expectation. Nor has Jacques Kallis fully recovered from his poor showing. If Ganguly's time is indeed up then he deserves to be remembered as one of the mightiest warriors to take to the field in the colours of his country. That he did not much resemble a warrior added to the effect. He has been underestimated, even resented by those inclined to confuse sweat with effort. His ability to get under the skin of his opponents was matched by a talent for getting into the minds of his players. He did not seem to worry what anyone thought, so long as his players retained faith in him and the cause. He provoked opponents as a means of showing his youngsters, especially, that there was nothing to fear. At his best he gathered his players into a potent force. It was only when he backed off that it went wrong, for then India played a tentative and doomed game. Mostly he was audacious and adventurous, and India rose with him. But Ganguly's stint as captain ended long ago, and ever since, he has been on shaky ground. Peter Roebuck is a former captain of Somerset and the author, most recently, of In It to Win It

[Shane]

About time !!! R.I.P. SCG

[SachDan]

Yes indeed. Time is up for Sourav to call it quits.

[DomainK]

A great batsman in the last days of his career. Deserves a great farewell.

[Dooks]

Haven't they got anything better to do? Stick to their own before writing the obrituary of the Asian players.

[Shane]

A great batsman in the last days of his career. Deserves a great farewell.

Give him whatever he wants and send him packing

[fineleg]

Bye, Bye Dada. Time is up indeed. It was good while u played some great innings. Good bye, and good luck for your future.

[SachDan]

Haven't they got anything better to do? Stick to their own before writing the obrituary of the Asian players.

What's wrong in such a respected writer penning his words? for me it doesn't matter whether the player is Asian or Australian as long as the matter is reffered rightly.

[Chandan]

How many players should call stumps? Akram is asking Kumble to to quit, Roebuck is asking Saurav to quit, Many asking even Dravid to quit-------------- now ICFers must decide with a poll who they want to quit before BG Trophy this year. It is really irritating to read all these views!

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Why nobody is writing that Sachin has to quit. He's been a liability for sometime now. If he's fit for one series, he gets injured and makes himself unavailable for 2-3 series that follow. This makes life difficult for selectors and team management in finding the right replacement. Once he comesback from injury, he doesnt start firing immediately. These days he usually takes atleast 4-5 matches before scoring a fifty or a match winning innings. By then, the series itself is wrapped up by the opposition. Insead of playing hid and seek like this, I think it is high time Sachin admits that his body is no more capable of those big thundering hundreds and the blistering innings about which opposition bowlers and captains were scared off. I think, going by fitness levels, Sachin should retire first before Sourav or Dravid.

[fineleg]

Why nobody is writing that Sachin has to quit. He's been a liability for sometime now. If he's fit for one series, he gets injured and makes himself unavailable for 2-3 series that follow. This makes life difficult for selectors and team management in finding the right replacement. Once he comesback from injury, he doesnt start firing immediately. These days he usually takes atleast 4-5 matches before scoring a fifty or a match winning innings. By then, the series itself is wrapped up by the opposition. Insead of playing hid and seek like this, I think it is high time Sachin admits that his body is no more capable of those big thundering hundreds and the blistering innings about which opposition bowlers and captains were scared off. I think, going by fitness levels, Sachin should retire first before Sourav or Dravid.

u make good points. but the first to retire must be ganguly.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

u make good points. but the first to retire must be ganguly.

Why Ganguly? I think right now, Ganguly is in better shape than Sachin. I dont want to risk playing Sachin in this high profile series, as he's just coming out of injury and wont be match fit. At any cost, we shud regain the BG trophy.

[SachDan]

Why Ganguly? I think right now, Ganguly is in better shape than Sachin. I dont want to risk playing Sachin in this high profile series, as he's just coming out of injury and wont be match fit. At any cost, we shud regain the BG trophy.

:hysterical::hysterical: So you want him to play in series' featuring Bangladeshis and Pakistanis? Against Australia he has so far scored 2352 in 25 tests with an impressive average of 56.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

well... if sachin can prove his fitness and form in the irani trophy match...

[jf1gp_1]

Series against Aus will be huge for Dravid and Ganguly. Combined they are going to score 4-5 100s with Dravid getting a double hundred. If they are going to retire soon i want them to go out in style.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

yah.. tat wil be a nice farewell... picture this... India 2-0 up after the first three matches and all big guns announce that the fourth will be their last test match. Irrespective of the outcome of the last match, we would hve won the series and it would be a great farewell to the big boys of india cricket at nagpur...

[SachDan]

well... if sachin can prove his fitness and form in the irani trophy match...

If Sach is fit then scoring runs will take care of itself!

[SachDan]

yah.. tat wil be a nice farewell... picture this... India 2-0 up after the first three matches and all big guns announce that the fourth will be their last test match. Irrespective of the outcome of the last match, we would hve won the series and it would be a great farewell to the big boys of india cricket at nagpur...

If India do manages to win the serious hands down,then I would like to see Kumble and Ganguly announcing their retirement....Dravid, if he manages to get back his midas touch can continue for one more season...irrespective of the series result,Sachin will play at least couple more years.

[diegovegaz]

i'll definately miss him

[Dravid]

dada aint going **** nowhere