KKR or KR have got it all wrong

History has been witness to many a battle that have been lost because egos got the better of those involved in the contest.

Kolkata Knight Riders, led by Brendon McCullum, have managed only one win out of the six matches they have played so far in SA, with four losses and one 'no result'. Do you think coach Buchanan's multi-captaincy idea has backfired? Also, all is said to be not well within the team. After a fake blogger, the team has sent back Chopra and Bangar back home. May be, Dada will be strong enough a leader to hold the team together and change its fortune.. What we have seen from KR has been just a surrender to the oppositions.. Will Dada change their fortunes if he becomes the captain again?

After the emphatic win triggered by the opening bash of KKR's current captain Brendon McCullum in IPL 2008 nothing has gone right for them... Seriously, one has to explain the logic behind selecting people like Akash Chopra or Sanjay Bangar in this team. Shoaib Akhtar, well, he's spent more time off the field in controversies than on it. Apart from the first match where he could push the gas up to past 150 Kph, he hardly managed a 139Kph in the later encounters. To KKR's advantage David Hussey and Ganguly came to form by the end of the tournament and ended up being in a much better place than they could have (6).. Could have reached semis (undeservedly) if they had won a rain washed match..


IPL 2; Ganguly gets the boot from captaincy, Buchanan (JB) shows why he needed a Mat Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Gilchrist, (in form) Lee and Damien Martin to make the best team in this world. Bring in those names together, even today and you'll get a best team without a coach. He woke up dreaming of a "Multiple Captain" theory, and the KR management added an over-priced Mortaza to his kitty. Not to forget the ennumerable support staff of the team, who have out numbered the players- JB is the director of sports operations, Mathew Mott- Coach, a bowling coach, fielding coach, baseball coach for throwing, physiotherapist, trainer, etc.. Ofcourse, later we found McCullum leading the pack.
And more importantly the decision to drop KOLKATA from kolkata knight riders..

Result: divided faith, since most Indian players will be sympathetic towards their former Captain. Aspirations for many to be a captain, no faith in the coach, Dada sidelined, mood of the team is bad, Fake IPL player...

Making Ganguly the captain may infuse some positive energy amongst his silent supporters within the group, and with the burden off his head, McCullum may start perfroming better..But the enthusiasm may get KKR through 2 to a max of 3 matches. Rest, attribute it to the poor auction and poor team selection.. The captain of KKR is not at the helm of things of the team. He doesnt have any authority on the team composition and team strategy. He doesnt call the shots as is usually the case with a team captain. It is the so-called director of cricket operations JB who is the boss of KKR cricket team..

The team:
Worth mentioning.. You select 54 Indian players, definitely a way forward, take them to SA at the cost of SRK, involve them in practise matches and pick only 14 from them, many of whom are simply not fit for T20.. One must seriously question the wisdom of JB.. May be JB was right, 11 players have a captain so 54 players 5 captains.-his laptop would have done the math for him I feel...
Why do u pick Aakash Chopra, send him to the top of the order and then decide that he "doesn't fit into the scheme of things for T20"..
Was it not known that Chopra is not fit for T20 before even picking him up?
Sanjay Bangar who wasn't even picked for India when we were badly in need of an all rounder gets an IPL ticket as an all rounder, doesn't bowl scores 2 runs and he is duly sent back home..
Wasn't Bangar's credibilities and records in front of you before selecting him for the team ?
Karthik not prefered by JB, Agarkar has to "improve"- drafted into the playing 11 and bowl an over each !! And are not a part of the team after that..
JB's decision or McCullum's ?

Dinda plays against RCB as a specialist bowler and ends up as a specialist fine leg fielder- doesn't bowl a single over! If this is the interest or knowledge that the kiwi has in his team, God save the team..
The wisdom of choosing Mendis to bowl the super over is questionable though not completely incorrect but a bigger error was to make Sourav sit and watch the super over from the dug out when he was the player who had a good knock in the actual game and could have easily taken it into the super over..
Mortaza is paid so heavily only to have a tour of SA, Hodge is picked ahead of him only because he is an aussie !! **** ! In a reply to a question from a reporter on if Ganguly would open the innings in Gayle's absence JB replies-well, we have hodge as an option !!
Charl Langeveldt signed in as his an T20 specialist- not played as yet !

Where is Monish Parmar ? Indulkar ? Azhar's son ? Sourav sarkar ? No backing from the management..

Now, the news is that SRK is upset and is planning to sell his team.

Verdict: As long as John Buchanan and his entire family of support staff are removed from KKR there wont be a difference to KKR's performance even if you make Sourav the captain. Heads should start rolling and they should start rolling now. C'mon SRK do a Mallya (in axing).. First to get the axe should be Buchanan and then his entire family. Until and unless that happens there's no stopping KKR from harnessing the 8th spot this time around. I got to admit its going to be a tough battle for the 8th spot between KKR and RCB.

TRIVIA: Question to all cricket lovers and fans- Name a cricket team that played 3 wicketkeepers in the playing 11.. Please do post the reply in the comment section..

India to host 2011 World Cup final, 29 games in all

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has moved its 2011 World Cup headquarters to Mumbai and increased India's allocation of matches after stripping Pakistan of co-hosting rights following a terror attack last month on the touring Sri Lankan team.

India will host 29 of the 49 matches, including the final and a semifinal. Bangladesh will stage the tournament opener and two quarterfinals among its eight matches and Sri Lanka will host 12 matches, including the other semifinal. 8 venues have been allocated in India, 2 in Bangladesh and 3 in Sri-Lanka..

The 14 matches originally scheduled to take place in Pakistan have been redistributed with 8 going to India, 4 to Sri Lanka and 2 to Bangladesh. The 10th edition of the World Cup was initially scheduled to be co-hosted by the sub-continent (IND, PAK, SRL and BAN), with Pakistan slated to stage a semifinal among its allocation of 14 matches.

Pakistan had earlier witnessed a terrorist attack on the SriLankan team bus on their way to the stadium. Five cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara received minor injuries. Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paravitarana were also injured in the attack which killed six security men and two civilians.The tour had been called off immediately after the attack..

The opening ceremony would be held in Bangladesh on February 18,2011 with the games beginning from the next day.. The World Cup Organising Committee also relocated the Secretariat from Lahore to the BCCI's headquarters in Mumbai, and appointed BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty as the Event Managing Director

The most important aspect would be the security arrangements and a special team has been formed for the same..

The ICC full members- Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, Zimbabwe, England, West Indies, New Zealand and the affiliate members follow (first 4 places in qualifying tournament) - Canada, Kenya, Netherlands and Ireland...

Prince of Trinidad

Cricket lovers would know that the "Prince of Trinidad" is none other than the greatest test player to have graced the cricket field and an equally good player in the other format (ODIs) too, a player who could alter the situation of the game in no time... The name is Brian Charles Lara...

Brian Lara, 10th of the 11 children of his father, learnt his game at the Harvard Coaching Clinic, where he was enrolled at the age of six for weekly coaching classes.. Aged 14, he amassed 745 runs in the schoolboys' league, with an average of 126.16, which earned him selection for the Trinidad national under-16 team. A year later he played in his first West Indian under 19 youth tournament and that same year, Lara represented West Indies in Under-19 cricket. Aged 20, he made his debut for west-indies against Pakistan.. There are very few players who have scored the BIG ones as frequently and as convincingly as the DON, but hey this Prince is not that far behind in any respect..

Lara showed his talent in his 5th Test,-1993 striking 277 runs against Australia in Sydney, his maiden Test century. It remains the fourth highest maiden Test century by any batsman.. Year 1994, home series against England saw one of his best performances.. 167 in Georgetown,Guyana sets up the series as West-Indies win by an innings 2-0 lead.. Going into the 5th match of the series WI have won the series 3-1, St.John's. Antigua recreation ground are to witness a great event unfolding. Finishes day1 on 164 and day2 on 320.. Day 3, 45runs more to beat Sir Gary Sobers world record of 365 runs.. Bats brilliantly to end up on 375, the then world record for highest test score with a staggering 45 fours in it.. In the same year, Lara broke the record for the highest individual score in first class matches by scoring 501* for warwickshire vs durham in the english county games, surpassing the previous best of 499 out.. Lara amassed his world record 501 in 474 minutes off only 427 balls. He hit 308 in boundaries (10 sixes and 62 fours).. A rising star........



Runs piled, centuries after centuries.. Late 90s saw a dip in his form, his high back lift proved his nemesis time and again.. He was the captain now 1998.. WI saw series whitewash, tasted what they were giving others all the while.. Tour of AUS was very good-Man of the series in the Carlton series..Excess weight and hamstring problems hampered his once-lightning footwork, and the torrent of runs became an occasional spurt., corrected his back lift .. 2001 was different though, tour of Srilanka- one of the best in my eyes.. He along with Sarwan notched up big centuries against the spin wizards in their backyard.. Lara amassed 688 runs in the three match away Test series against Sri Lanka making three centuries and one fifty including a double century and a century in the first and second innings of the 3rd Test Match at the Sinhalese Sports Ground making 42% of the team's runs in that series. These extraordinary performances led Muttiah Muralitharan to state that Lara was the most dangerous batsman he had ever faced.. Re appointed the captain in 2003 against AUS home series, highlight of the tour being the succesful run chase of 418 by WI in the 4th test.. WI won the ICC champions trophy under him in 2004..


Controversies are a part of all celebrities life-

• There was a clash between the Board's Sponsorship Digicel and Brian Lara's personal sponsorship which is Cable and Wireless.. Board selected Brian Lara and dropped the other players who were involved in this controversy but he declined selection in a stand of solidarity.. 
• In the later half of his career he started batting at number 5 and 6 . Many experts from all over the world wanted Brian Lara to bat up the order and take more responsibility and had questioned lara's wisdom to do so..
• Complaint that Lara did not contact the selection committee in picking the playing 11 team in the world cup 2007 matches..

Have I missed something ?? Well, yesss !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They say history repeats itself, but not to this extent... Same opponent, same ground, 10years later..................
Mathew Hayden had shortly held the record for the highest individual score (380 against Zimbabwe).. Lara comes back and scores a quadruple century.. Batting for 778 mins, 43 fours and 4 sixes in one of the epic innings of cricket.. Commentator- " One of the most significant singles in the history of test cricket." Goes from 399* to 400*



Watch this- the single


He announced before the 2007 Cricket World Cup that it would be his last appearance in one day internationals. After his last match, in the post-game presentation interview, he asked the fans, "Did I entertain?", to which he received a resounding "Yes!" from the West Indies fans, after which he went out and took his 'lap of honor' where he met and shook hands with many of the fans. This marked the last time Lara would play actively in the game.

34 test centuries to his name, 11953 Runs, averages 53 per innings, an average that shoots upto 61 in wins and 71 in drawn matches.. An ODI career with 10405 runs, 19 centuries isn't that far behind.. Averages speak volumes, 62 in matches won to 25 in matches lost.. Remarkably, he is the only batsman to have ever scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century and a quintuple century in first class games over the course of his career. Lara also holds the test record of scoring most number of runs in a single over, when he scored 28 runs off an over by Robin Peterson of South Africa in 2003. Even his stance was thrilling - a look down at the pitch, the bat raised high in the air, the weight poised on a bent front knee, the eyes low and level, a quick shuffle across the wickets and BANG he would send the ball flashing to the boundary.. Arguably, the greatest test cricketer ever to have played second only to the DON(12) in terms of double centuries ( lara 9) and equal to him in triple centuries(2).

Brian Charles Lara is truly a cricket legend, hero of the West Indian cricket.. The Prince had not disappointed us in his entire career.. The BEST !!!!!!!!

Technologies- Hawk eye

Hawk-Eye is a computer system used in cricket, tennis to visually track the path of the ball and display a record of its actual path as graphic image. In tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process used by umpires during referrals. It is used as a part of referals in cricket of late..
It has the ability to predict the future path of a ball. England, Australia, India, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka are the nations were Hawk-Eye has been implemented... The technology was also in place at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 and the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. The technology is used by broadcasters to resolve LBW shouts and show whether a batsman should have been given ‘not-out’ or ‘out’: the technology predicts the path of the ball as it comes out of the bounce, thus determining whether the ball would have hit the stumps...

Assessing LBWs

• Would the ball have hit the stumps?
• Did the ball pitch in-line?
• Did the ball hit the batsman in-line?

Wagon Wheels

The singles, 2s, 3s, 4s and 6s that make up quick-fire 50s or vital centuries are represented by the different colours on the Wagon Wheel, which shows the areas of the field that the batsman has been targeting.Nowadays, the grounds do look realistic and resemble the actual ground..

Spin / Swing

Hawk-Eye also demonstrates how far a delivery has deviated after pitching.Actual delivery and a delivery to show if the ball had not spun or deviated is showed.

 

 

Pitch Maps

Pitch maps show where the bowler has pitched the ball.. How good the bowler was in a spell or how good he was to a right handed or left-handed batsmen can be analyzed..
Beehives show where the ball has passed the batsman.

Ball Speeds and bounce

Ball speeds is shown, where a top delivery is compared with a slow ball to show how slow the ball has been bowled. Also, it can be used to check the bounce the actual ball compared to what if the ball had normal bounce..

Still the experts are of the view that Hawk Eye may not be able to predict the ball coming out from the rough on a 5th day wicket and from the cracks on the wickets.. It cannot be used as a supplement to umpiring decisions in LBWs because you may end up giving more 'out' than 'not-out' with the hawk eye showing that the ball may have kissed the leg-stump or just clipped the bails.. This was in trial in the champions trophy in Sri-Lanka if i am not wrong.. Created havoc by breaking the flow of the game and disrupting the innings.. (Don't tell it to Modi, he may slip in a couple of ads in that time)..

Technologies- Hot spot

The recent innovation used in cricket claims to be 100% effective in detecting edges ! It is basically used in Channel 9's cricket coverage.. It was first used in the Ashes series in Australia. It uses infrared camera technology to determine whether a batsman has made contact with a delivery, and if so, which part of his bat or body made contact.

Two powerful thermal-imaging cameras are positioned above the field of play, behind the bowler's arm at either end of a ground. These can remotely sense and measure the minute amount of heat generated by the impact of a cricket ball against another object. Computer technology then generates a negative image on which the point of contact is highlighted as a red friction "hot spot" for a second or two. HotSpot doesn't only record impacts between the ball and other objects, but also the bat hitting a pad or the ground.
So any impact is spotted as a white dot / white line on the bat or pad or the human body.. So it perfectly tells the commentators (so far, hopefully umpires in the future) whether the batsman is out or not and they can go gaga over it.. HotSpot is therefore useful in instances of bat-pad impacts in determining whether the ball hit bat or pad first and if implemented can reduce a lot of human errors.

HotSpot uses technology developed in the military for tank- and jet-fighter tracking. The technology was adapted for television by BBG Sports, the Australian company responsible for the Snickometer, in conjunction with Sky Sports. Channel Nine producer Steve Crawley described HotSpot as "100% backed up by science", as opposed to other applications. 




Hot Spot has particular advantage of over it competing technology, the Snickometer which is a sound-detection based system. Snickometer often produces inconclusive results indicating contact (potentially any combination of bat, pad and ball) only, whereas the Hot Spot clearly show exactly what the ball strikes.




In short, it is a good technology that is used only by the channel 9.. It would be good if the other broadcasters also use it.. IF (IF) the ICC are serious about introducing technology to reduce human errors in umpiring decisions, then instead of wasting time with referrals and hawk eyes, they can implement HotSpot.. This is surely less ambiguous than hawk eyes that are used in the referral system now..

IPL2009 after a week

Unexpected !! Surprising !! Boring !!

First of all, IPL gave the cricket world a bit of shock when it was revealed that there would not be any opening ceremony and Indian media was totally in the dark about IPL opening ceremony.

The grounds are pretty sparsely filled, especially during the first innings. But it looks like the broadcasting team have been told to keep talking about the excitement and the fever at the ground. The camera men have been instructed not to pan towards empty stands. And the producers keep telling the spectators to scream and shout when the camera pans to them.Though the evening matches are better in terms of crowd presence, but it did not, of course, reveal any sign of a sold-out match. There could be two reasons behind it. May be, people bought the tickets, but did not come to the stadium for any mysterious reason, or IPL revealed fake reports regarding ticket selling with a view to catching the attraction of cricket fans in India as well as in South Africa.Local cricket fans just come and spend a nice evening on the grass, and show no feeling of being delighted at boundaries or sixes or fall of wicket.

With the pitches assisting the bowlers, high scoring games have become a rarity with the last 2-3 matches being an exception. Finally something for the bowlers to cheer as they also have a say in the course of the game..

Another striking feature has been that thus far the orange and purple caps have been with the Indians. (Hayden took over orange cap now :-( ).. Spinners have dominated on many occasions..

Wasn't south africa chosen over england because the weather would be fine ?? hmmm.. Doesn't seem so, with rain curtailed matches and rain washing out a match, surely rain has played a spoil sport..

Highlights of Week1:

• The dog that came into the field and dodged every security personnel for a long time (longer than the strategic break)
• The absence of Indian fans- the fun loving fans who scream, shout and boo the players accordingly.. SA crowd have been well-behaved.
• $1.5million for just 3 games.. Flintoff is going back home with a knee injury
• Strategic breaks that affect the flow of the game, and the players have to re-group themselves and start afresh once again...
• The classy innings have come from the ex-trio of Indian cricket.. Sachin in the opening game a well crafted 59, Dravid with a 66 in their opening match and Dada's 2 wickets in an over was remeniscent of Toronto Sahara Cup and his brilliant innings of 46 in the tied game.. Just shows what experience is all about.
• Matty returned to form a little too late in his career!! Orange cap holder. Seems like the mountain of a man is back to his devastating form. Bowlers beware !!
• The first century of IPL2009 from AB, 2nd fifty came up in a jiffy to post the highest team total thus far ..
• Anil Kumble's 5 for 5. This happened in IPL only..
• The super over in RR vs KKR match is worth mentioning.. Warne's faith in the young Kamran Khan is really appreciable. Handed him the ball on 2 crunch situations and he impressed on both occasions. (deserved MoM)
  
• The tables have turned upside down with the DC at the top of the table, and the much deserving DD right up there.
  

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Deccan Chargers	2	2	0	0	0	4	+2.158
Delhi Daredevils	2	2	0	0	0	4	+0.985
Mumbai Indians	2	1	0	0	1	3	+0.950
Rajasthan Royals	3	0	1	1	1	3	-1.875
Chennai	3	1	2	0	0	2	+1.067
Kings XI Punjab	3	1	2	0	0	2	-0.364
Bangalore	4	1	3	0	0	2	-0.669
Kolkata	3	1	1	1	0	2	-0.887

Chennai have a stiff task ahead having to win now.. KKR is in their familiar territory-bottom of the table..

Surprisingly even the Kingfisher Fair play award table has seen a change with KKR ranked higher (change of captain has worked atleast here), and rajasthan are at the bottom..

Bangalore (4 Matches)							31
Punjab (3 Matches)							30
Kolkata (3 Matches)							30
Chennai (3 Matches)							28
Deccan (2 Matches)							20
Delhi (2 Match)							19
Rajasthan (3 Match)							19
Mumbai (2 Match)							10

The Fake IPL Player

Creating a stir in the KKR camp... well, Controversy and Ganguly couldn't be separated apart and now it seems he has carried it on to the team too... KKR and controversy go hand in hand... Controversies had started in IPL1 itself..But that was of a smaller magnitude..

A few players were adjudged misfit in the team and cost cutting made the management re-size the team..
The axe on the few players were not taken in the proper sense.. Then came another controversy when SRK, the team owner entered the dug out of the team.. After which SRK decided not to be present at the venue of the game... He was also caught smoking in the stadium...

Second edition gets bigger and better... So, the controversies have to be upto the mark...

Ganguly to be dropped, multi-captain, multi-advicer and what not... John Buchchanan had tried all methods to oust Ganguly.. According to multi-captain theory, there are 4-5 captains in each match each overseeing one aspect of the game so that the pressure is taken of the single captain in matches like that of T20.. And the captains would get a breather space to think more efficiently and come up with new ideas.. Ganguly ofcourse did not want to share his job or be de-throned.. This was opposed as public saw this as a move to oust Dada and nothing else.. But the theory has merits indeed.. Nevertheless, owing to pressure the theory couldn't be tried out till now... Lets wait and watch what future has in store.. But the inevitable happened, with Ganguly aging and the team where the coach and managers have a longer stay than the players with a team (as opposed to normal cricket where coaches change, managers change but the players play for decades together).... McCullum was named full time captain for IPL2...

Is that the end of the story ?? I mean the end of controversies ?? NO...
Fake IPL player is the biggest menace that the team is facing...
Now, who is this fake IPL player and what is he upto ??
He is an unknown blogger who claims to be a part of the KKR team and is leaking all team meetings, strategies.. His revelations are causing the biggest stir at the Indian Premier League 2.. He introduces himself as a no-hoper, who could play matches only at a high school level... Doesn't know how he is picked for IPL amidst all superstars.. Says, he bats a bit, bowls a bit and fields like a maniac but one thing that he always does is serve drinks.. Calls SRK a maniac, John as a man with lot of attitude and baggages, Sourav is the Lord Almighty, and so on... Anonymously comments on his blogs and various other Anonymous comments claim its chatteshwar pujara.. Some bloggers for publicity have published their blog URL in the comments again and again in all the posts..

Takes us through the IPL gala, where Warne apparently was laughing at the KKR team coach-cum-strategist-cum-tactician-cum-thinker-cum-innovator-cum-Sun-Tzu buchchanan's theory and was sharing it with his owner.. SRK is said to believe in the "Phoren Babas" -McCullum and gayle, and the coach.. A talk in the team that Ganguly may not be picked in the playing 11, the new heads avoiding him and that he is planning to return back to India... Ganguly is focussed to stamp his authority in the team and the tornament he says.. When everyone was partying in the inauguration, Dada and Sachin had an intense chat..

Talks about the first rain curtailed match, how SRK cracked PJs and the fringe players were forced to laugh at it.. "What do you expect from a team that's as confused as a...well... uh... I can't think of anything as confused as our team, but I think you get the point." In a subsequent post he says that Dada is getting along well with the players and has an advice or 2 for the new skipper too..

The hilarious aspect is the way he puts the coach's strategies... 2 innovative strategies came out after spending hours on laptop.. (and 1 suggestion)

• Score atleast 50-1 in 6overs so that Ganguly can consolidate middle order and play till 15th over or so to give solidity to the innings.
• If we lose an early wicket or two during powerplay, we will consolidate the inning rather than go for maximum. Man, nobody ever thought this before.
• He essentially said that Agarkar has a bright future, he just needs to work on his game a little bit. Basically, all he needs to do is improve his bowling, batting and fielding. That’s it. And he’s back in the team.

Seems to admire Dada who being the slowest member of the team could come out pointing mistakes and give advices on agility, throwing and running... He says " the man knows how to motivate the boys."

But who is this guy is a millon dollar question !! Many many are suspected in the camp- playing and non-playing staff and this guy goes on blogging.....

"We will definitely find out who the blogger is - and work out a revenue share with him," said IPL chief Lalit Modi, ever open to income-generation opportunities. "Of course, he will have to pay us a huge licensing fee first, and then share 70% of advertising revenue with the KKR team and the IPL," he said, showing that he doesn't discriminate between random bloggers and international news agencies.

Well, there are blogs where the hit count increases quickly, there are blogs where the number of posts increases, but in this one the "followers" are increasing... 1500 odd followers...
So many comments, many just publisizing their blogs, websites.. And these comments are repetitive, all posts have them...
But this "Fake IPL guy" has created ripples in the team management, and the run is on to catch the culprit.. Our readers are doing well to guess who it could be, and the responses range from Dada to senior players to fresh recruits...

Well, God and the blogger are the only ones to know who it is..

A tribute to Dada Part4: Mother of all comebacks and a humble retirement.

view part1 part2 and part3 at these links...

Many things go wrong in life but not so much and so horrible as it happens with Ganguly.. His dispute with the then coach Greg Chappell resulted in many headlines during 2005 and early 2006. Greg Chappell sent an email to the BCCI stating that Ganguly was unfit to lead India and that his "divide and rule" behavior was damaging the team. This email was leaked to the media and resulted in huge backlash from Ganguly's fans. Eventually due to his poor form and differences with the coach he was stripped of his captaincy and dropped from the team.

Sourav was not dropped based on his performance. He was dropped, for reasons other than cricket. Whatever it is, if you look at his statistics as a player, do you think he should be dropped ? Isn't there any respect for a senior player ? He has done so much for the team, which has made the whole of India swell with pride. But, the people in selection committee, do whatever they feel. You could easily name a lot of players with poor performances at that time (2005-06). And it was Ganguly who was selected to be dropped, the selection committee made a mockery of themselves and ridiculed Dada.


He was dropped from the ODI side on account of fitness and age and that he did not fit into any role in the side., an angry Bengali public greeted the team bus, chanting and waving banners with anti-Chappell and pro-Ganguly sentiment. Cameras captured greg's middle finger being displayed to the protesters. During the match, the Indian team were booed and the South African batsmen were cheered as they accumulated the runs necessary for a ten-wicket victory. He was then picked for the test squad as an batting ALL-ROUNDER only to be dropped after a single match giving way to kaif.. Dada was overlooked for the subsequent series against England and west indies, juggled in and out of the team on many cases.. Ganguly was humiliated. Comments and suggestions started pouring in asking him to retire and that there was no more chance for him to stage a comeback, he was on the wrong side of the thirties already and he needn't prove his mettle and talent to anyone anymore, he has lost the appetite to score runs, he is fragile, he breaks up the team..

Well, why was he dropped ? Lets analyze..

• Divide and Rule- Ganguly disintegrates the team, applies divide and rule policy.. Yes, it was dada who did it.. brought in viru, yuvi, pathan and kaif- without the backing that dada gave them in their initial days of failure they wouldn't have been in the team.. viru would have still lost all his hairs just playing for Delhi, yuvi would be confined to Mohali and pathan a lost entity.. Is this act disintegrating the team? well, greg says so.. lets accept..
• Job utterly important to his life and finances- Ganguly clings onto the team because that is important to his life and finances. He was born into a family with immense wealth. His father is one of the 5 richest in Kolkata, whose printing business is the 3rd largest in Asia, a family whose annual turnover is nearly 80 crores (says a website).. Yet Guru Greg, with his laptop has found out that it is necessary for "his life and finances". and greg being an honorable man in cricketing fraternity we all will believe it in one go....(no reasoning permitted)
  
• Poor Batting Form- very low average in test cricket. Agreed.. poor form.. the replacement wasn't great., Ganguly dropped for an additional bowler and is then brought back on a green pitch (where additional quickie is not required- pundits said so), asked to open the innings. Performance of many players inclusive of Sachin wasn't that great and to be dropped for Robin Uthappa makes no sense.. Youngsters is the way forward, Kudos to chappel... Hail Guru Greg !!
  

• Poor fitness - Ganguly least interested in fitness drills and exercises.. Very true that the likes of VVS, Rahul, Jaffer, Kumble and others were superb outstanding fielders second only to Jonty Rhodes who could dive and stop a ball from going to the boundary. How I wish there was a video showcasing these people's fielding!! Not that Dada's was any good, but applying the same parameters should have seen the exit more players and not just Ganguly.. Yet, Greg spots only Dada.. And he is to be believed...

But then, we're talking about Ganguly, a warrior who has done it so many times in the past by proving everyone wrong, walking out of the international arena and having a hit almost everyday, away from the public eye, away from the grasp of media. Practice sessions had more intensity and all of it conveyed one thing, his purpose to prove the selectors wrong one more time, and probably one last time.
Lot of people said I should retire but I still feel I have it in me to play those innings again, and perhaps even better ones. Why else would I be fighting to get back into the Indian team?
– On his chances of making a comeback - Nov 2006

And then came an ad of an aerated drink with the lines, "Aap apne Dada ko bhule toh nahin", meaning I hope you people have not forgotten your Dada.



Emotions run high, sympathy pours in and when you see a warrior look this helpless, a man who was known for staging a battle, the Maharaj, was all by himself... Determination to comeback, willingness to prove selectors wrong, an opportunity to show the world that he has cricket left in him, a wish to contribute to the Indian National Cricket team, the thirst for runs, the pride to wear the Indian Blue once again, and moreover, the joy of playing the sport that runs in your blood, the sport that made you a star, the sport that brought fame, the times that the nation cherished under him-

Dada wants to comeback...

Dada promises a comeback...

Dada works hard to come back... And

Dada comes back.........




Air-tickets for South Africa........................................
The "great Guru" Greg picks youngsters in Wasim jaffer, Anil Kumble, ODI specialist in Dinesh Mongia, and a brilliant bowler + an excellent fielder in Munaf Patel.. psst:greg is building a young team for the world cup.. (haa don't question his credibility man, you are weak in math if you say Anil is 36 yrs old he is a energetic youngster fit for ODIs)... India humiliated in the ODIs with the best margin of losing being 80runs...
Ganguly is picked for the Tests.
I was training at the Eden Gardens when a local reporter informed me that I was selected. I am happier than the day I made my debut.
- On his recall for the SA tour

Jet-lagged he was and his legs ached. A shower at the team-hotel and he was quickly transported to the cricket ground.
“Welcome back,” a voice boomed and soon a tall man stretched out his hand. Greg Chappell welcomed Ganguly during the Indian team practice session. The Dada had reached his destination.
one of the most significant handshakes
The signs were clear — the Dada was committed on his comeback.
India are 1 for 2, 37 for 3, 59 for 4 against Rest of South Africa. Ganguly comes in and scores 83 , India win, and take momentum into the Test series.Scores a half-century with the tail in the Jo'burg test as India reach a crucial 249 and bowl South Africa out for 84. They go on to win by 123 runs, but lose in the final Test to squander an opportunity for a rare series win. Ganguly is the leading run-getter for India. A great comeback in ODIs too-98 against WI in Nagpur.. And then, there was nothing stopping this Prince, no looking back as he went on with one good knock after the other, taking his side from positions of discomfort to safety and then to winning positions. A much awaited test 100 in Chittagong.. A lot was made of the Chappell-Ganguly showdown and the confrontation was unfortunate. But it did make Ganguly introspect and return a better batsman and a cricketer. In Ganguly’s comeback, Chappell deserves some credit. The then 35-year-old Ganguly was in the form of his life; he could meddle the ball in sleep. He made runs on pitches with pace and lift in South Africa, conjured a couple of gems when the ball swung around in England and and then the home series against Pakistan was the all-time best for him. His performance in front of the home crowd was never one to be proud of and he came back to smash a wonderful ton against the arch-rivals at the Indian Mecca of Cricket (more importantly, the Royal Bengal Tiger's own den). Double ton was another feat he would have wanted to achieve and he didn't have to wait too long, Bangalore, where the next test was played saw that coming from the bat of Sourav. All in all, it was an unforgettable series for Dada and all his fans, in which he scored the second most number of runs in a 3 match Test series by an Indian batsman. With 534 runs in three Tests at an average of 89, and is the Man of the Series. Ganguly's honeymoon period seemed never ending and his success story went on in the home series against the Proteas too where he scripted a brave 87 on a minefield of a Kanpur pitch to help India draw level in the 3 Test series. It had been a phenomenal year for Sourav where he went on to achieve personal milestones every now and then, his contributions at the same time didn't go in vain as India went on to win quite a lot of matches. It was a glorious 2007 where he ended up as the second highest run-getter in Tests that season, fifth in the ODIs list. He was also named the Asian Cricketer of the Year for the brilliant season. The Aussie tour, ordinary performance.. Viral fever... Dropped from ODI side... You heard it right, rather read it right... The dreaded word "dropped".. Why ?
Dunno... Poor show by the entire team against mendis and murali in the emerald isles, with Sachin and Dravid averaging very less but hey, only Sourav performed badly... The selectors are up with it again- AXE... Sourav dropped.... Not even picked for the Irani Trophy(considered to be a dress rehearsal before the all important Aussie Test series)...

And perhaps this was the time when the former skipper felt that this was it and decided to call it a day.
makes the announcement. "Just one last thing lads, before I leave," he says. "I just want to say that this is going to be my last series. I've decided to quit.(lumps in his throat, emotional) I told my team-mates before coming here. These four Test matches are going to be my last and hopefully we'll go on a winning note."

It's not only the end of Ganguly's career, it's the end of an era.
A fine batsman, by far the best left-hander the nation had seen, a spirited fighter, who fought for himself and his team-mates.
He is etched in the history of Indian cricket not just for what he has achieved on field but for providing the world with a lesson in the fine art of comebacks. It’s a lesson that those sidelined would do well to adapt to their circumstances. He might have been dealt a few knocks in his career but his spirit was never broken. Rather, it egged him onto greater heights. He deserves the credit and the support. This career has been a treat to watch, one to treasure. Thank you Sourav for making cricket watching all the more pleasing during all these years. Thank you Sourav for making the Indian Cricket team what it is today.

I would like to be remembered as someone who has taken Indian cricket forward…someone who tried his best every time he went out to play for the country.I let the boys free. I wanted to lead a bunch of fighters. I was very close to a lot of them and they enjoyed my trust. They knew that I was a man who would not hurt anyone from behind. I did lose my temper when I did not see the boys putting in their effort. I do not mind non performance with effort.... But all my complaints and anger would finish on the field. Off it, my reactions were different. I am very hard on people on the field. But once we are off it, I forget the whole issue and don’t bring it up.
--Dada

A Tribute to DADA -PART 3 :: The peak of a slippery slope

To view part1 and part2 click on the links..

.........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 leadership India started winning Test matches away with john wright as coach.. India with the combination of Dada and Wright saw huge wins, historic wins and a team that could win the world cup was being built.. There was an influx of youth, but crucially, the newcomers were backed. The team didn’t look meek anymore. They played aggressively and did not give an inch to the opposition.

India began to win and do so consistently. India won a test match on Caribbean soil after decades and managed not to lose a series in England as well. India also went on to win the Champions Trophy in 2002 jointly with SL. But a terrible tour to New Zealand (just before the WC) and a horrible start to the 2003 World Cup(poor matches against Aussies and Netherlands), once again raised eyebrows. After being thwarted by the Aussies in the league match, Ganguly suddenly instilled an unprecedented amount of zeal in the team. The Huddle was introduced, the team gelled up as a unit in a jiffy and things started to come back on track. India could not be beaten. In each game their performance was better and they were more ruthless. But India faltered at the last hurdle, a thing that became the feature of Ganguly's captaincy and it is certainly not one that Ganguly will like.

QUOTES:

There have been angry reactions back home and that is understandable because of our poor showing against Australia. But true supporters are this who not only jump up with the team’s victory but also stand by the team in times of defeats. I was shocked and disappointed to hear what the families of Dravid and Kaif have gone through.

- About the reaction of angry fans back home after India lost badly to Australia in the early stages of the 2003 World Cup.

One off day shattered our World Cup dream.

- After India got thrashed in the 2003 World Cup Final against Australia.

We obviously don't get support from outside, so we support each other and will continue to do so whatever happens in the rest of the tournament.

- Dada on why the ‘huddle’ was invented during the World Cup.

World cup 2003 India matches:




The tour Down Under.. Come December 2003, India had a tour of Australia which was touted as the toughest challenge.. Steve Waugh,in his farewell series, talked of mental disintegration.. Again people were discussing the defeat margin and were considering a draw to be a victory. There was a lot of banter on and off the field and Australia found themselves in an unknown territory as Ganguly responded to Steve Waugh's "Mental Disintegration" in the Aussie way.
When the chips were down, the captain led from the front. A gutsy century in the first test helped India save the game. A win in Adelaide, a defeat in Melbourne and a draw at Sydney ensured that the series is drawn and the Border Gavaskar trophy remained in India. This was a big big achievement.

In no other country is a team written off even before its departure.

- Slams the Indian critics who predicted that India would be thrashed by the home team when they toured Australia in December 2003.

Then, in the 2003 series (on India's tour to Australia), Steve (Waugh) said that let's be on time for the toss now. I said: 'If you behave, I will'.

- Sourav

I believe in my ability to score runs and that is what I look to do. It happens sometimes that people get after you. But you have to take in your stride. It’s a professional sport so one has to go ahead.

- After he scored a ton against Australia at Brisbane and proved all his detractors wrong.

We know, and they know, that we can beat them.

- said a rather cocky Sourav after beating Australia.

Ganguly's 144 in Brisbane

Critics did try to down play India`s performance by pointing out that the performance came in the absence of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee and Shane Warne. But Ganguly silenced all the critics by defeating a full strength Pakistan side in Pakistan in both the Test and the one-day series. This was the highpoint of Ganguly`s captaincy but also turned out to be the end of glorious phase in Indian cricket. When Australia toured India , Ganguly pulled himself out of the match at the last minute in the Nagpur Test. Many felt he was scared to play on a green top. As it turned out, India lost the Test comfortably and went on to lose the series too. Things were never the same in Indian cricket after that defeat. Ganguly and John Wright formed a good captain-coach combo but the side had degenerated towards the end of their reign.

Many things go wrong in life but nowhere close to as regularly or horribly as it happens for Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly was served a five match ban for slow over-rates during which Dravid became the captain. A poor form with the bat and some defeats had given room for speculations that Chappell might soon want Dravid to become the captain on a full time basis. Ganguly missed a few important matches due to injury and this didn't go down well with people but more so with the new Indian coach - Greg Chappell.But the selectors decided to go on with Ganguly for the tour to Zimbabwe. There was pressure on Ganguly - the batsman and Ganguly - the captain and he responded with a lacklustre ton in Bulawayo against the Zimbabweans. Then he faced perhaps the most controversial interview of his life. That interview with Harsha Bhogle spelt doom where he went on record saying that there were suggestions made to him to step down as the captain. And then the ever so acrimoniously popular e-mail of Greg Chappel sprung up to the public eye which, as portrayed by the Ganguly camp, was a tactical move to finish an already declining career. What followed was something that was no way likeable. Suddenly captain courageous looked timid and the sensitive Indian public got some food for thought with dirty linen being washed in public.

His dispute with then coach Greg Chappell resulted in many headlines during 2005 and early 2006. Greg Chappell emailed the BCCI stating that Ganguly was unfit to lead India and that his "divide and rule" behavior was damaging the team. This email was leaked to the media and resulted in huge backlash from Ganguly's fans. Eventually due to his poor form and differences with the coach he was stripped of his captaincy and dropped from the team.

Click on the images to read the then news headlines:


Ganguly unwanted: email leak from Guru Greg

chappel's e-mail






Ganguly promises a comeback to the Indian side and wasn't it a great comeback?


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