Sourav Ganguly’s formal retirement announcement and its implications.

he cat is out of the bag. Sourav Ganguly has announced his retirement amidst all the hue and cry surrounding his selection and rumored impending retirement. The suave southpaw has been receiving flak from selectors, critics and fans alike for past sometime in light of his dwindling performance. His recent inclusion in the test squad for the first two matches against Australia

Ganguly’s retirement has multiple implications on a wider angle. Former players are crying hoarse over politics involved in the whole scene, alleging that Ganguly was forced to move out to make space for the younger calves when he still had some years of cricket left in him. Australian Captain Ponting opines that this announcement will not only take away the players’ focus from the game but also pressurize other team members buzzed strong rounds of gossip hinting at a barter agreement: Sourav gets to play in the first two matches and then he bows out, lest he is chucked out.

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SOME swear by him; others swear at him. Sourav Ganguly will remain an enigma. The reactions to his exclusion have been on expected lines. By burning effigies of the National selectors, coach, captain, the fans have only adopted a blinkered course in expressing support for Ganguly, who, regardless of the circumstances, did not deserve such an undignified exit from the team.

The hysterical response, under the garb of passion for the game, from the fans should hardly be a surprise in a country where logic takes a back seat when it comes to taking a stand on an issue like this. The selectors have had to look at things in perspective with the emphasis being solely on the future, especially the upcoming tour to Pakistan, but the process has left a sour taste.

"You can't insult a national hero," fumed Dilip Vengsarkar. He was right. What prevented the selectors from avoiding such an ugly development involving the most successful captain ever in Indian cricket? Did he not deserve the kind of farewell the Australians accorded to Steve Waugh? In hindsight, though, the episode only confirmed the Indian failing to accept harsh realities, and also the sad truth that heroes do not always gain respect for their deeds.

The Ganguly affair also laid bare the myth that this was a well-knit team. When a senior cricketer like Ganguly feels "unwanted" and takes leave without a farewell from his `close' mates, you need to take a fresh look at the so-called camaraderie one hears about. A captain who was known to stand up for his players and a man who gave direction to Indian cricket with his innovative leadership was not even given a choice to pick his farewell stage. It was this aspect that stood out sorely.

Angry Ganguly lashes out at selectors

Kolkata, Oct 9 (PTI) In an angry outburst, Sourav Ganguly has taken on the national selectors for the way he has been treated and said he decided to retire to save himself the humiliation of being treated as the "sacrificial goat" all the time.
Ganguly said there was no point in carrying on playing cricket if he was treated in such a manner while some of the other players were spared.

"There is no point playing like this. I am not willing to play at their (selectors') mercy. They will pick you now and then dump you. Why should I be the sacrificial goat all the time? It was difficult to accept," Ganguly, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, said.

"If a gun is held at your head, how far can you bear it. That too after playing 450 matches. I played badly in only one series. But others are not dropped. I have scored the highest number of runs after comeback," he was quoted as saying by Bengali daily 'Aaj Kaal'.

"How long would I have played? May be upto 2009. May be seven more tests. For that I was not prepared to take any more humiliation," he added.

Ganguly said being dropped from the Irani Trophy Rest of India squad by the selection panel led by Vengsarkar was the last nail in the coffin and he thought he had faced enough humilation by then.

"I never thought I will be out of the Irani team. I couldn't sleep for one month in anger, agony. Had this committee (new selection committee) come three years ago, things might have been different," said the 36-year-old left hander. PTI

Mumbai, Oct 10 (PTI) Former Chief selector Dilip Vengasarkar today said he would refrain from responding to Sourav Ganguly's outburst against the selectors till the end of the current series against Australia as it could divert the team's focus.
"I won't answer him now as this is not the right time because India are in the middle of a Test series (against Australia) and it might affect the focus of the team," Vengsarkar told PTI.

"But I will definitely answer him after the series is over. He will get more than what he has asked for," he added.

Ganguly hit out at selectors for the way he had been treated and said he decided to retire to save himself the humiliation of being treated as the "sacrificial goat" all the time.

"There is no point playing like this. I am not willing to play at their (selectors') mercy. They will pick you now and then dump you. Why should I be the sacrificial goat all the time? It was difficult to accept," said Ganguly, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday.

Vengsarkar also said the BCCI would look into the matter and find out what Ganguly had told the Bengali daily.

"All I had said yesterday (to a TV channel) is that if he had said anything (on selection), the BCCI will look into it," he said.

The News 24 Channel in a press release late last night quoted Vengsarkar as saying "Sourav should stay away from making any statements till he is playing as they will create unnecessary controversies." He also said "that BCCI should take some strict action against this as such statements are needless and can affect the morale and spirit of the whole squad". PTI

Ganguly shows his age and rage in farewell tour

WHAT was supposed to be a dignified exit for Sourav Ganguly is turning into a spectacle from which more sensitive cricket watchers might want to avert their gaze.

On the day he bared his soul to a Bengali journalist, unloading about his treatment by the selectors and players "who have changed their hairstyle more than they have scored for India", Ganguly was far from gazelle-like in the field as Australia hustled to a big first-innings total in the first Test.

Pressure is building around India's most successful captain, just as Ricky Ponting had hoped it would, and was never more evident than when Ganguly let a Michael Hussey cover drive dribble through his legs for four on the second morning of his farewell tour.

In playing a bold style of ''New Age" cricket, Australia hoped to expose the old age of Ganguly and his senior teammates, and he has looked every one of his 36 years in the field on the first two days.

The timing of the conversation that appeared in Aajkal, a Bengali daily newspaper, could not have been worse.

Ganguly, who announced the day before the first Test he would retire after the series, said he was sick of being humiliated by the selectors, and could otherwise have played on until next year.

"I am bound to feel bad. I had to fight with my heart," Ganguly said.

"If there is a gun to your head all the time, how long can you bear this? After all, I have played 400 matches for India. I have played badly in only one series. Yet every Tom, Dick and Harry is playing in the team."

It is hardly the dignified exit India would have been hoping for for one of its greatest cricketers.

Playing Style

Sourav Ganguly is a left-handed batsman whose runs come primarily from the off-side. Throughout his career, he has played off-side shots such as the square cut, square drive and cover drive with elegance and complete command. Early in his career he was not comfortable with the hook and pull, often giving his wicket away with mistiming such shots. He was also criticized for having difficulty in handling short pitched balls and bouncers, notoriously exploited by the Australians and South Africans. However, after his comeback in 2007, he has worked upon these weaknesses to a large extent. He can hit powerful shots to the off-side on front and back foot with equal ease.

In One Day Internationals, where he usually opens the innings, he tries to take the advantage of fielding restrictions by advancing down the pitch and hitting pace bowlers over extra cover and mid-off. He is also notorious for attacking left arm spin bowlers. Due to excellent hand-eye coordination, he picks the length of the ball early, comes down the pitch and hits the ball aerially over mid-on or midwicket, often for a six. However, he has a weakness in running between the wickets and judging quick singles. There have been many instances where Ganguly's batting partner has been run out due to Ganguly's calling for a run, and then sending him back while halfway down the pitch.

Ganguly is a right arm medium pace bowler. He can swing and seam the ball both ways and often chips in with useful wickets to break partnerships. Despite not being very athletic as a fielder, Ganguly has taken 100 catches in one-day Internationals.

2007 World Cup and aftermath

Following his good performance, Ganguly was named in the squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. He was the leading scorer for India in their first round defeat against Bangladesh. After India were knocked out of the tournament in the group stage, there were reports of a rift between certain members of the Indian team and their coach Greg Chappell. Ganguly, allegedly, ignored instructions from the team management to score quickly. After Sachin Tendulkar issued a statement saying that what hurt the team most was that "the coach has questioned our attitude", Chappell decided not to renew his contract with the Indian team.

On 12 December 2007, Ganguly scored his maiden double century of his career while playing against Pakistan in the first innings of the third and final test match of the series. He was involved in a 300 run partnership for the 5th wicket along with Yuvraj Singh - a much needed partnership that saved India which was struggling at 61 for the fall of four wickets. He later went on to score 239 before being dismissed by Danish Kaneria.

On 18 April 2008, Ganguly led the Kolkata Knight Riders team owned by Shah Rukh Khan in the IPL Twenty20 cricket match to a 140 run victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers led by Rahul Dravid and owned by Vijay Mallya. Ganguly opened the innings with Brendan McCullum and scored 10 runs while his partner Brendan McCullum remained unbeaten blasting his way to a record 158* runs in 73 balls. On 1 May in a game between the Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals, Ganguly made his highest score of the season and his second T20 half century, scoring 51 runs off of 39 balls at a strike rate of 130.76. In his innings, Ganguly hit four 4s and two sixes, topping the scorers list for the Knight Riders.

Ganguly has been prolific in both Test and ODI cricket in the year 2007. He scored 1106 Test runs at an average of 61.44 (with three centuries and four fifties) in 2007 to become the second highest rungetter in Test matches of that year after Jacques Kallis. He is the fifth highest rungetter in 2007 in ODIs, where he scored 1240 runs at 44.28.