Thank You - Sourav Ganguly

India celebrates victory, they also celebrate Sourav Ganguly as he walks off the field one last time. Warm and sunny evening at Nagpur was a befitting setting for a man who wears his passion on his sleeve.

I am writing this because this is my way of saluting a hero I have liked, hated and liked again. Also as they say when it is farewell time a lot of people think ; if they were loved so much why did they have to go. I am sure at some point Ganguly too will feel the same way. But that’s for later, now is the time to celebrate a hero, so let me do it.

Disastrous debut as a 19 yr old in Australia only to be castigated in the bins of history with attitude smudged all over him; to anyone that should have signaled end of the road. 1996 England tour recall came with a lot of corridor talk about influence, money and contacts fructifying. 2 hundreds in first two matches silenced everything. “Prince of Kolkatta was anointed God of Offside.”

Ganguly as player and Ganguly as captain, both have got their share of love and hate. Circa 2000, when Tendulkar had refused captaincy and Indian cricket was in its abyss with a drubbing in Australia and a series shock loss at home to south Africa country looked towards Ganguly. ‘Cometh the moment cometh the man’. Ganguly not only grabbed the imagination of public he also reinforced the belief in the game and our ability to win. Many a great contest were held, innings played, wickets taken, catches held on and as team won and moved from one match to another , one series to another , one continent to another the captain held steadfast. He ensured the young guns were given opportunity to fire, believed in them and backed them. Ganguly marshaled his troops and would have given run for his money to any war time general.

Lords balcony and who would have thought India would have won that day and yet it did. He captured the imagination of the whole nation and world stopped to take notice. Twirling of the shirt was coming of age of the Indian youth and spirit of never giving up, never be cowed down, of giving it back and in full. It was just what Ganguly himself was defiant, confident, courageous and ability to back oneself. This was also reflected in 2003 world cup.

I along the way thought Ganguly was very tactical, very instinctive, today realize that hunches are not successful it’s the experience behind the thought to go with the hunch. Ganguly had tons of it. He was the master whose teammates believed no matter what captain does, he will do the right thing for the team and also for them. They trusted him and had faith because he was never afraid to make mistakes as a leader and acknowledge most of them.

Familiarity breeds contempt and who better to tell us about this than Ganguly himself. Down and then out, he came back when people were writing his epitaph. Today there is this big debate everywhere - did he have another year in him or not? It really does not matter, for Ganguly has never actually followed convention. He was in some ways reflecting the next obsession of Indian public ‘the sensex’. Up today down next week. Each one knows when time is up and Ganguly decided his own.

Let me admit that I have been involved in many a discussion when I have vociferously in 2004 - 2005 wanted him dropped and wanted him gone. Today I am thankful to him for coming back and doing it with passion, which is so very him. I have learnt.

He has a generation that will remember him for making us believe we can win, that too at terrains not familiar, that tigers are tigers be it any ground in any part of the world, that passion is not a bad word , that respect is earned, that if you back your team they ensure your success as a leader, that even if the whole world gives up on you, you cannot because you have yourself, that opposition respects an aggressive competitor and that its ok once in a lifetime to twirl your shirt and show it all that you have given: blood, sweat and tears. That is a lot to thank him for and rightly so.
Goodbye Prince! Offside will not be the same again for a long time. Fare Thee well!