Indian cricket is blessed to have had the services of many great cricketers who have been great ambassadors of the game and have also taken Indian cricket to great heights. Today I would be talking about our own Dada Sourav Gangly. Today on his birthday it is my small tribute to all the services that he has given to enlighten the passion for cricket to many across the world.
There is no doubt that Sourav Ganguly is one of the most successful captains of India, but I will not use the statistic of his career both as a player and as a captain because that will be a disservice to the great contribution that he was made. His contribution is much more than the number of victories he has achieved (no doubt that they are great in numbers). He actually brought in a complete change in our perception about cricket. We can actually classify the history of Indian cricket in to 2 stages:
1. Pre- Sourav stage
2. Sourav and after Sourav stage.
Actually even before Sourav become the captain of the Indian team, our team had won some good matches and championship but these teams were not consistent. One tag that always was associated with the teams of pre-sourav stage was that they were a sober team who were graceful in defeat. This perspective changed after Sourav become the captain we were no more the graceful losers but a very hard competitive team, that would fight tooth and nail and play fearless cricket. Each and every player dared to challenge the opposition and many a times gave them back in their own language. Sourav was able to instill a certain aggression in the team, which is the hallmark of any champion team.
Another fantastic quality of Sourav is that despite all the aggression that he brought in, he never allowed his aggression to overtake his elegance. His off-side shots and his butchering of the left arm spinners will always remain etched in the memory of cricket lovers forever. He has set a great example of how any batsman to be a great batsman need not play too many shots. They can bat within their limitations and still leave the opposition mesmerized.
The way in which Sourav showed his faith in his team and players is also commendable. That is the precise reason why he could bring out the best from rookie players and then provide them the platform to achieve their greatness. His contribution to the game is so great that we cannot sum it up in few words.
For all those who get depressed due to failures should learn from Sourav how to bounce back. He had made his debut in One-Day internationals in 1991-92 in Australia and then was unceremoniously dropped. After four years he got his first Test cap against England, in England and there he announced his arrival with back-to-back centuries. That started the journey, which still continues as he is the BCCI chief as on today.
Finally, for all the great moments that he has given to us, all I can tell on this auspicious day to him is ‘Thank You Dada’ ‘Happy Birthday Dada’.
-------------- Anupam
