Sourav Ganguly: The leader who changed the face of Indian cricket
A creative force often termed as a rebel, a man layered with many characters and always in the thick of things, Sourav Ganguly was probably one of those very few men who took the field and evoked mixed emotions.
As Steven Waugh once famously said that he saw in Sourav a committed individual who wanted to inject some toughness and combativeness into a side that had often tended in the past to roll over and expose a soft underbelly.
A career spanning more than sixteen years was full of disasters and rescues, and comebacks and mistakes and memorable moments. Ganguly was fun, just the kind of energy he brought to a cricket field, the passion with which he played the game of cricket and his willingness to take on the best is what separates him from the rest.
Every fast bowler worth his salt tried to knock off his head with short balls and bouncers at some point of their career but his elegance and grace on the off-side is beyond question. Throughout his career he has flirted with danger, played with his fate, tempting it to turn its back on him and just when his critics wrote him off he would surprise everybody by making a comeback. Only he probably knows how to write his own scripts.
Forever uncompromising and a born leader, Sourav Ganguly was arguably one of the best left-handers India has ever produced. It was under his able leadership that India managed to shed the tag of 'tigers at home and lambs abroad'. Not to mention the famous tour down under where Ganguly scored a brilliant a 144 at Gabba in Brisbane in 2004 which set the tone for the rest of the series. On more than one count, he gave a reply to the sweet chin music which the Australians had promised to offer him.
Australia managed to keep India away from a series victory with the help of Steve Bucknor who forgot that he had a finger in that Test match in Sydney. Looked as if the last time Bucknor raised his finger was when the Berlin Wall was still there and there was peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In the column of the report where an umpire is to be judged on his conduct and decision-making -- the ratings were very good, good, average, poor, and very poor -- Ganguly had given Bucknor 'very poor' after that test match.
India became a formidable force under his leadership with Test match victories in Australia, England,Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Ganguly's contributon to Indian cricket is immense and will forever be remembered as the man who changed the face of Indian cricket.
Love Him or Hate Him, You Have to Respect Him.
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