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.

cover story of DADA

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.

Opening in ODIs

In 1997 Ganguly scored his maiden ODI century, opening the innings he scored 113, in his side's 238, against Sri Lanka later that year he won four consecutive Man of the match awards in the Sahara Cup with Pakistan the second of these was won after he took 5/16 off 10 overs, his best bowling in an ODI. After a barren run in Test cricket his form returned at the end of the year with three centuries in four Tests all against Sri Lanka two of this involved 250+ stands with Sachin Tendulkar.

In January 1998, he had one of his most memorable performances in the final of the Independence Cup at Dhaka against Pakistan he scored 124 as India successfully chased down 315 off 48 overs, winning the Man of the match award. In March 1998 he was part of the India team that beat Australia his biggest impact came in Calcutta as he took three wickets having opened the bowling with his medium pace.

In the 1999 World Cup Ganguly smashed 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton, the innings took 158 balls and included 17 fours and 7 sixes. It is the second highest in World Cup history and the highest by an Indian in the tournament. His partnership of 318 with Rahul Dravid is the highest ever in the World Cup and is the second highest in all ODI cricket.

In 1999/00 India lost series to both Australia and South Africa in the five Tests Ganguly struggled scoring 224 runs at 22.40. However his ODI form was impressive with five centuries over the season taking him to the top of PwC One Day Ratings for batsmen.

ourav Ganguly's announcement of his retirement

Bangalore, Oct 8 (PTI) Sourav Ganguly's announcement of his retirement

just before the first Test will act as a distraction for the Indians and they will

be under pressure in the series, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said

today.
"It (Ganguly's retirement) will certainly create distractions. And we have

experienced it when Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and

Adam Gilchrist retired," Ponting said ahead of the first Test here tomorrow.

"The decision takes pressure off Sourav but puts pressure on some other

and the Indian players will certainly be facing that for the next four weeks.

I'm sure the crowd in India will be eager to come out and see Sourav play

his last Tests. And that will add to the overall spectacle of the series," said

Ponting.

The visiting skipper said his deputy Michael Clarke will be available for the

first Test. "He (Clarke) had a stomach bug yesterday. He took part in the

training session today and feeling good. He will be fine for the game

tomorrow." He said the final decision on his playing XI will be decided

tomorrow morning.

"Probably Jason Krejza or Cameron White, one of them will play. We will

finalise it tomorrow morning." Ponting seemed to be quite satisfied with the

pitch for the first Test and said, "The pitch has changed a little bit compared

to what it was yesterday afternoon. It looks very good to me.

"Greg Chappell also feels that the pitch looks like helping batsmen in the

first couple of days before helping the spinners. It's overcast and humid

weather out here and there will be variation in the bounce as the match

progresses." PTI

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly
Career Statistics: 01-09-2006

class mat inns no runs hs ave bf sr 100 50 4s 6s ct st
Tests 88 140 12 5221 173 40.78 10700 48.79 12 25 670 41 59 0
ODIs 279 270 21 10123 183 40.65 13718 73.79 22 60 991 168 96 0
First-class 207 320 38 12277 200* 43.53 25 71 149 0
List A 385 371 39 13840 183 41.68 31 81 123 0
Twenty20 15 14 1 334 73 25.69 311 107.39 0 1 6 0
Bowling averages
class mat balls runs wkts bbi bbm ave econ sr 4 5 10
Tests 88 2516 1419 26 3/28 3/37 54.57 3.38 96.76 0 0 0
ODIs 279 4123 3470 93 5/16 5/16 37.31 5.04 44.33 1 2 0
First-class 207 9695 5505 148 6/46 37.19 3.40 65.50 4 0
List A 385 7319 5928 160 5/16 5/16 37.05 4.85 45.74 4 2 0
Twenty20 15 264 353 16 3/27 3/27 22.06 8.02 16.50 0 0 0

Family

Family
Dad's Name : Chandi Das Ganguly
Wife's Name : Dona Ganguly

Ganguly was born to a life of luxury and comfort as he was the son of an affluent printer. Ganguly is perhaps one of the richest
Indian cricketer of recent times. Ganguly's father presides over a big joint family of over 50 people, though they all do not live in
the same house. There are 22 bedrooms in his house, and the family possesses over 20 cars.

His first step towards cricket
Ganguly's first step towards cricket was a happy accident of fate: Ganguly was not encouraged to play cricket because his
parents wanted him to focus on his studies. But his elder brother Snehasish was an accomplished cricketer. He was a
left-hander so Sourav simply followed his brother and started playing with left hand. It was convenient for him because he could
thus use his brother's cricket equipment; for his fans, it was a blessed stroke of luck, for the joys of the left-handed drive in cricket surpass almost everything else. One fine day during his holidays, Sourav asked his father to get him enrolled in a
cricket academy as he was finding difficult to pass his time.

Setbacks
An under-15 Orissa cricket team happened to be in Calcutta, and Sourav happened to smash them with a century. Young
Sourav had found his métier. But the pain was yet to come. A hundred (121) for East Zone against West Zone in the Duleep
Trophy in 1991 earned Sourav a place on the tour of Australia in 1991-92. He was played in only one One-day International
match and was then forgotten for over four years. He thought that his career as an international cricketer was over as he was
ridiculed as a non-talent, and it was alleged that he had 'attitude problems'. They said he refused to carry drinks for his
teammates, he was too high-headed and arrogant, he behaved like a Maharaja, an emperor. None of it was true, says Sourav. But the labels stuck, and Sourav was a forgotten man. He was left alone to sort out his career, and to reinforce his shattered
confidence, with some help from an English rugby team sports psychologist.

Success at last !
But fate had more surprises in store. Sourav was chosen to tour England with the Indian team in 1996. Navjot SinghSidhu, his
roommate on the tour, chose to walk out of the team after a misunderstanding with captain Azharuddin, while Sanjay Manjrekar
was injured. Sourav thus got a chance to make his Test debut. There was a crescendo of criticism on his selection for the tour;
that the Bengal lobby was at the base of his inclusion was the harsh and unanimous verdict. But all that lasted only till the
second Test at Lord's where he blasted a superb century.

As a person
Sourav Ganguly is a quiet, unassuming, undemonstrative man with nerves of steel. As the current captain of the team, Ganguly's
aggressive batting and big scores testify to the fact that he has learnt to deal with pressure and the burden of leading the country
does not constraint him. In fact, the responsibility seems to have had an encouraging effect; he is beginning to emerge from the
shadow of Sachin Tendulkar. Sourav is a deeply religious person and observes a fast every Tuesday.



His marriage
He is married to Dona, who was a next-door neighbour to the Ganguly family. Their fathers were once friends but the relationship
was strained and the young couple got married under cover. It was a typical Hindi movie love story where the hero and heroine
are separated by their parents and so they run off to get married. And like the movie ends their families too reconciled but only in the end i.e. after the marraige.


His first love
You all will be surprised to know that 'Football' is Saurav's first love. He played for his school football team for four years. But
since there were not many opportunities in football, he shifted to cricket. This shift of game was because of his father, who made
him join a cricket coaching club. His father Mr. Chandi Ganguly had also played for the state.

His Secret
Now we will tell you a private habit of your favourite cricketer.............The first thing Saurav does after he checks into a hotel
room is to place the portrait of goddess Kali and the picture of his wife Dona on his bed side table. For this Bengal Tiger there
is nothing more relaxing than watching Dona (his wife who is a classical dancer)perform a dance routine.



Achievements
Ganguly was appointed the Captain of the Indian cricket team in February, 2000.
Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the New Zealand-India 5 match ODI series in November 1999.
Ganguly made a mammoth 183 against Sri Lanka in World Cup 1999, which, at that time, was the Highest ODI Score by an
Indian, beating Kapil Dev's Record of 175*.
Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the Pepsi Cup 1999 (March-April) for scoring 278 runs and taking 6 wickets in total.
Saurav Ganguly has the distinction of being one of the few players in the World to Score a century and take 4 wickets in the
same match. (ODIs)
Saurav Ganguly along with Tendulkar forms the 4th Best Opening Pair in the History of One-day cricket.
Saurav Ganguly and Tendulkar were involved in a World Record Opening Partnership of 252.
Saurav Ganguly scored a Century on Debut at Lords in 1996, and went on to score a century in the very next match as well.
Saurav Ganguly was named Sport star Person of the Year 1998. He also won the Arjuna Award in 1998.
Saurav Ganguly was the Highest Run-Scorer for India in ODIs in 1997.
In the Sahara Cup 1997, Saurav Ganguly set a new World Record for 5 consecutive Man of the Match Awards. He was also the
Man of the Series.

Debut and early career

Following a prolific Ranji season in 1990-91,^[12] Ganguly made his One Day International debut for India against West Indies in 1992,^[1] and scored just 3 runs.^[13] He was dropped immediately since he was perceived to be "arrogant" and his attitude to the game was openly questioned.^[14] He toiled away in domestic cricket, scoring heavily in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons^[15][16] Following an innings of 171 in the 1995-96 Duleep Trophy,^[17] he was recalled to the national side for the tour of England in 1996 amidst intense media scrutiny.^[14] He played in one ODI,^[18] but was omitted from the team for the first test. However, after Navjot Sidhu left the touring party citing ill-treatment by the capatin Mohammed Azharuddin,^[19] made his Test debut at Lord's alongside Rahul Dravid, in what was umpire Dickie Bird's last test.^[20] He scored a century, becoming only the third cricketer to score a century on debut at Lord's, after Harry Graham and John Hampshire. Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior have since accomplished this feat, but his 131 still remains the highest by any batsman on his debut at Lord's.^[21] In the next Test match at Trent Bridge he made 136, thus becoming only the 3rd batsman to make a century in each of his first two innings (after Lawrence Rowe and Alvin Kallicharran). He shared a 255 run stand with Sachin Tendulkar, which became at that time the highest partnership for India against any country for any wicket outside India.^[22]

Early life

Early life

The youngest son of Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly, Ganguly was born on 8 July 1972 in Kolkata.^[1][8] He had a luxurious childhood and was nicknamed the Maharaja.^[9] Though he was asked to concentrate on his studies and not play cricket, he was inspired to do so by his brother Snehasish Ganguly,^[10] an accomplished left-handed batsman for Bengal.^[8] Though he was acutally right-handed, he batted left-handed so that he could use his brother's equipment.^[10] After he showed some promise as a batsman, he was enrolled in a cricket academy.^[10] An indoor multi-gym and concrete wicket was built at home for him and his brother, and he would often watch cricket videos, especially those of David Gower, his hero.^[8] After he scored a century against the Orissa U-15 side,^[10] he was made captain of the prestigious St Xavier's School's cricket team.^[9] His stint there was controversial as several of his teammates complained against his arrogance.^[11] His father ran a flourishing print business and was one of the richest men in Kolkata.

Profile:
Saurav Ganguly, the Prince of Calcutta has a fan following of millions and that is justified
considering the number of winning knocks he has played for India. His batting is the perfect
blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed
batsmanship. He is also a superb/ perfect timer of the ball. The manner in which he steps out
and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot.
He is one of the most aggressive Captain India has ever had and has emerged as one thekey
components of the Indian team. His ability to play shots on the off side is special because there
are very few players who can hit the ball in that area as crisply as he does. He is an aggressive
left-handed batsman and is also an effective (right-handed) medium pace bowler. He tarted his
international career as a 19 year old during the tour to Australia in 1991-92 where both his ability
and attitude was questioned. His recall for the 1996 tour to England was severely criticised as
one of the evils of India's "quota" system. But he answered that in style by not only scoring
centuries in his first two Test innings but also capturing vital wickets to bag the Man of the
series award. Still he was considered fit only for the Test matches because of his inability to
play onside strokes. He worked on that problem and became a household name in India after the
Sahara Cup in Toronto where he won several matches for India against Pakistan. Besides
several superlative batting performance (including 75* in 75 balls), he exploited the conditions to
return some excellent bowling figures (including 5-16). He is often criticised for his running
between the wickets and if he works on that, the way he has worked on his leg-side then he will
definitely become a formidable force in the World of Cricket

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly made his entry into this world on July 08, 1973 in Calcutta, the ‘City of Joy’, now Kolkata. He was born into a sports loving family and was the second of two sons born to Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly. He was born into immense wealth, unlike many Indian cricketers, with the exception of royalty. His parents gave him the nickname of ‘Maharaj’ meaning ‘Prince’. Perhaps, they knew that their son was born to lead.

Sourav’s father, Chandidas Ganguly runs a flourishing printing business, the 3rd largest in Asia, that has helped make the Gangulys among the 5 richest in Kolkata. Even today, Dada's

father is one of the major barons in the printing business in Kolkata. His palatial, joint-family home which has nearly 30 members in the Kolkata suburb of Behala has more than 45 rooms. There is suggestion of affluence everything in the Ganaguly household, from the palatial 4-storey building itself to the beautifully decorated rooms. The annual turnover of Sourav's family is nearly 80 crores, with just a profit of 40 crores!

As a child, Sourav was extremely mischievous, a typical Cancerian one could say. His brother Snehashish (nicknamed Raj) was born five years before him and became an accomplished left handed batsman. Though Sourav is a natural right hander, he learned to bat with his left hand from his brother, Snehashish. Sourav does everything else, including writing and bowling with his right hand. Convenience was one of the reasons for Sourav to become a left-handed batsman as he could then use his brother's cricket gear.

For someone who is one of the best cricketers of contemporary times, it would come as a surprise to many of Sourav’s fans that cricket was not his first love. Like all people who dwell in the city of Kolkata, Sourav’s first sporting passion was football. But like most Indian kids, he had to make the difficult choice between academics and sport and his mother wasn’t very supportive of Sourav taking up cricket or any sport as a career. But Snehashish, who was an established cricketer for Bengal only strengthened his brother’s resolve to be a cricketer and he asked his father to get Sourav enrolled in a cricket coaching camp during Sourav's class ten holidays.

For a young man who used his brother's cricket gear during practice, it was indeed ironical that he replaced his brother in the Bengal cricket team and consequently, Snehashish was dropped. And thus, Sourav began a glorious cricketing career.