........... The deadly duo tormented each and every bowling attack which came their way and that started a new legacy which will certainly be looked at in present times and also the ages to come…
From the days when India was Sachin and Sachin alone, came the days when people started talking of Sourav and Sachin (order of names intentional).. Centuries after centuries, runs a plenty, wickets to supplement.. All that he did could only head in one direction, skywards.
Playing against Sri Lanka, he scored his first ODI century, in his 32nd match Colombo. This innings followed a 147 in the 2nd test, an innings instrumental in drawing the Test.
In Toronto, Sourav thrashed Pakistan 4-1 in a 5 match series.. Wait a second!! Shouldn’t it have been INDIA thrashed Pakistan?? Na, with 222 runs at an average of 55.5 and 15 wickets at an average 10.66, he won four Man-of-the-Match awards in five matches, and without any doubt was the unanimous choice for Man of the Series. His form never seemed to dip; average went on climbing the stairs. However, in Tests, Sourav didn't sparkle in the same fashion.
Who could forget the greatest highest ever run chase in ODI history (ha, highest run chase is AUS vs. SA how did Dada come there? remember you are in 1998 now and not 2009).. India successfully chased down 316 with a ball to spare, Ganguly contributing 124, to lift the Independence cup in 1998..
Everything seems to be going good until May 26, 1999...
That day was probably the day when the 4th umpire had to work the most bringing a new ball so often, only to find that it had been deposited in the car park before he could return to his chambers.. This was the World Cup 99, the ground is in TAUNTON, and so the opposition is............................. Yes, Sri Lanka... Not only the Lankan bowlers but also many window panes of the hospitality and VIP boxes were smashed.. What was good had become better! Ganguly was a force to reckon with now.. Scoring 183 and surpassing the previous highest individual score of 175 by the legendary Kapil was no mean effort.. 318-run partnership with Rahul Dravid (145) is the then highest partnership ever; and India's 373 for 6 is the then second-largest ODI total..
1999 also saw him captain a match and then a series only due to the absence of the little maestro.. “If Sachin Tendulkar couldn’t, who could?” this seemed like a valid question at that time when India was in search of a new captain. Sachin Tendulkar had a disastrous time leading the team and soon enough, he resigned. Who is the next captain, Sachin gone, Azhar and Jadeja not favorites, who could be trusted with the responsibility of captain? The "WISE" heads looked around, and felt that Sourav could be the man.. He was named captain of the Indian team for the 5ODI series against South Africa in early 2000. At the prime of his one-day form, he ended the series as top run-getter, and India won a closely fought series. He was named full-time captain after the series.
It was the year 2000, a bad year for the cricket world. A demon named Match-fixing engulfed the Cricketing world in general and Indian cricket in particular. It was learnt that Cronje accepted money to throw matches. The South African government refused to allow any of its players to face the Indian investigation unit. A court of inquiry was set up and Cronje admitted to throwing matches. He was immediately banned from all forms of cricket. Salim Malik, Ata-ur-Rehman (PAK), Mohammad Azharuddin , Ajay Jadeja, Ajay Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar(IND) too were banned from all forms of cricket for being a party to match fixing. As a kingpin, Cronje exposed the dark side of betting; however with his untimely death in 2002 most of his sources also have escaped law enforcement agencies. With many key players involved in the scandal, the GENTLEMEN'S game had come in for serious questions..
This was the time when Indian cricket hit a nadir with the whole nation losing faith in the team (which was worshipped before) and the team losing some great names which meant it was left with a few big holes. The cricketing world had no clue as to how to deal with the Match-fixing trouble. The Indian board in particular had a lot to think about and a lot do as India seemed to be the epicenter of the match fixing earthquake. During this time, the other senior players were not prepared to adorn the crown of thorns - Captaincy. The board turned to Sourav Chandidas Ganguly. Ganguly during that time was certainly at his batting best and there were mixed reactions to this decision. While a few thought that the board was taking a proper decision others thought that this is going to catalyze the destruction initiated by Match fixing. What happened in such a situation could very well have finished off the career of the person taking over the reins. But Sourav Ganguly entered the scene and ruled it for quite a long time like none before and that perhaps will remain Sourav's greatest contribution to Indian cricket, more than his batting, more than anything else. He quickly proved to be a tough, intuitive and uncompromising leader. Soon we saw the Indian team metamorphose. New faces, young blood and the Indian team was like never before. Lesser heard names, from places the cricketing world never knew exist, began to feature in the Indian squad thanks to the new skipper and suddenly everything else was forgotten.
Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan suddenly became the talk of the town and the forgotten offie, Harbhajan, was reinvented, reshaped and restructured by Ganguly. Still, the big wins seemed to be missing and there was a lack in consistency in the Indian side which kept losing the finals. Things changed when the invincible Aussies came to India with a 15 test winning streak and the world was discussing the margin of defeat that this team will hand India. India lost the first test by 10 wickets in less than three days. Ganguly and his side were under the hammer. The hammer beat harder in Kolkata when the Indian side had to follow on. Skipper Ganguly decided to promote Laxman to 3 and boy did that work!! Rest as they say is history. Once the Indians took a handsome lead thanks to the wonderful batting of Laxman and Dravid, suddenly when India bowled, the field placements seemed to be perfect, the bowling changes apt and every move a masterstroke. India created history by winning the match after following on and went on to win the 3 test series 2-1 after having been drubbed in the first match. One thing was for sure, Captain commendable was here to stay!!!
NatWest series final, who could forget it.. By the way who watched it? India tottering after a good start from viru and dada was enough for every fan to switch off their TV sets (incl. Kaif's family who dint watch his son script a famous win). What followed- Ganguly waving his shirt emphatically at the Lord's balcony after an incredible win in the NatWest series final..
New Age India suddenly began to dominate the proceedings. Ganguly began calling the shots. The Board gave him what he wanted and he gave what the Board and a billion fans wanted - wins. Under his stewardship India started winning Test matches away, and put together a splendid streak that took them all the way to the World Cup final in 2003.
Quotes:
Now I was not only the Prince of Calcutta, but I was the monarch of Indian Cricket. I could not comprehend the feelings and emotions that were rising inside me.
- On being appointed captain.
On the offside, first there is God, then Sourav Ganguly. Rahul Dravid
Sourav is really the best captain India has ever had. Sunil Gavaskar
PART3: "The peak of a slippery slope."
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