On Monday ,the 10th of November,2008 was the swan song of Saurav Ganguly,India's most famous cricketer. I am not saying popular,for no he was not popular, he was famous. You may love him or hate him ,but one thing was for sure ,you could not ignore him. His career reflects a typical roller coaster but Ganguly was more than just success and failure. He was a cult, a cut above the rest.....
As aptly put by Rahul Dravid “On the Off side,there is God,then there is Ganguly”.He has been the Lord of the Off Side. It was indeed apt hat he stared his career at the LORDS ,the mecca of cricket.
A century on debut at LORDS is something very few in cricket can boast off. However it was the 1999 world cup in England that saw Ganguly emerge as India prominent batsman. His 183 against Sri Lanka
remains a special treat to those who have seen it. But Ganguly's fame is not in being the great player he was,he had been earmarked for greater glories.
It was the season of 2000 ,when India at the turn of the millennium had seemed to lost the plot to win.A whitewash at home by South Africa had put in doubt India's position in World Cricket. And the crown of thorns,Captaincy went to Ganguly. He made immediate impact as India beat South Africa in a unbelievable series 3-2. And India was never the same again.................nor was Ganguly,inarguably India's most successful Captain.
Ganguly might have lost 15 months of cricket due to his spat with Greg Chappel , but he could not have scripted a better comeback. The Bengal Tiger roared his loudest at adversity and has made a legacy that will be insurmountable. His absence will be felt, and then may be his detractors will understand........................................
His career can be summarized in the following line:-
“Century on Debut, Golden duck on Swan song , a rainbow in between”
Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 Ct St
Tests 112 186 17 7127 239 42.17 13916 51.21 16 34 71 0
ODIs 311 300 23 11363 183 41.02 15416 73.70 22 72 100 0
Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w
Tests 112 99 3117 1681 32 3/28 3/37 52.53 3.23 97.4 0 0
ODIs 311 171 4561 3849 100 5/16 5/16 38.49 5.06 45.6 1 2
As aptly put by Rahul Dravid “On the Off side,there is God,then there is Ganguly”.He has been the Lord of the Off Side. It was indeed apt hat he stared his career at the LORDS ,the mecca of cricket.
A century on debut at LORDS is something very few in cricket can boast off. However it was the 1999 world cup in England that saw Ganguly emerge as India prominent batsman. His 183 against Sri Lanka
remains a special treat to those who have seen it. But Ganguly's fame is not in being the great player he was,he had been earmarked for greater glories.
It was the season of 2000 ,when India at the turn of the millennium had seemed to lost the plot to win.A whitewash at home by South Africa had put in doubt India's position in World Cricket. And the crown of thorns,Captaincy went to Ganguly. He made immediate impact as India beat South Africa in a unbelievable series 3-2. And India was never the same again.................nor was Ganguly,inarguably India's most successful Captain.
Ganguly might have lost 15 months of cricket due to his spat with Greg Chappel , but he could not have scripted a better comeback. The Bengal Tiger roared his loudest at adversity and has made a legacy that will be insurmountable. His absence will be felt, and then may be his detractors will understand........................................
His career can be summarized in the following line:-
“Century on Debut, Golden duck on Swan song , a rainbow in between”
Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 Ct St
Tests 112 186 17 7127 239 42.17 13916 51.21 16 34 71 0
ODIs 311 300 23 11363 183 41.02 15416 73.70 22 72 100 0
Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w
Tests 112 99 3117 1681 32 3/28 3/37 52.53 3.23 97.4 0 0
ODIs 311 171 4561 3849 100 5/16 5/16 38.49 5.06 45.6 1 2
