Sourav Ganguly's legacy of 2002
Pushpak Sarkar - 04 January 2003
The overall performance of the Indian team under Sourav Ganguly in
2002 has, to say the least, been very positive. Notwithstanding the
ongoing debacle in New Zealand, the current Indian team has registered
impressive wins throughout the year, including success in a tri-series
in England and in the ICC Champions Trophy, where they were joint
winners with Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately for Ganguly, a significant section of the Indian
cricket followers, media and past cricketers still remain skeptical of
his contribution to Indian cricket and his legacy. The reasons are
difficult to discern, for Ganguly's accomplishments are fairly
significant in the context of Indian cricket.
His recent batting performances, for starters, are not negligible; he
narrowly missed 1,000 Test runs for the calendar year 2002 and
overall, he has scored 4,100 runs - including nine centuries with a
batting average of 40.5 in Tests. In one-dayers, he has consistently
been among the top scorers in the world for the last three years and
made 8,211 runs - including 19 centuries with a batting average of
43.5 - in ODIs. Other than Sachin Tendulkar, no other Indian, past or
present, has scored more ODI centuries than Ganguly. It is clear then
that as a batsman, Ganguly may not have a Bradmanesque record, but it
definitely stands out by overall Indian standards.
But batting has more to it than mere statistical records. Classy
batsmen like GR Vishwanath are remembered not just for the records but
because of their stylish strokes. Ganguly's wizardry - in the form of
smooth, silken drives anywhere on the off-side - stood out as a
trademark right from his first-class cricketing days. At the crease,
he combines a certain lazy, aristocratic elegance with deceptive
power.
Early in his career for India, Ganguly repeatedly excelled as a match-
winner in tight one-day matches. In the Sahara Cup series at Toronto,
for example, he single-handedly demolished Pakistan in 1998. In the
1999 World Cup, Ganguly scored 97 not out against South Africa in the
lung-opener and then, against defending champions Sri Lanka, Ganguly
bludgeoned the hapless Lankans into submission with a pulverising 183.
Since taking over the Indian captaincy in 2000, criticism of Ganguly
has been a regular feature. Every loss by the weak and inexperienced
team was attributed to the Indian captain. but strangely not much
credit was accorded for the successes of his team.
To objectively evaluate Ganguly's captaincy record over the last three
years, here are some comparative statistics on his performance as
Indian captain. Ganguly has won 13 Tests out of 31 at the helm, a
record much better than all the previous captains of India. The next
best was that of Mohammad Azharuddin, who won 14 Tests out of 42, with
only 1 win abroad. The records of other captains like MAK Pataudi,
Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ajit Wadekar and Bishan Singh Bedi are
still less favourable. As a captain with 5 overseas Test wins, Ganguly
also stands indisputably as India's most successful captain overseas.
It is often forgotten nowadays that Ganguly had an inexperienced team
under his charge when he took over the Indian captaincy. The prospects
for Indian cricket were looking bleak in 2000, especially after the
match-fixing-related exit of senior pros like Azharuddin and Ajay
Jadeja. On top of this, Anil Kumble and Javagl Srinath were ageing and
often broke down with injuries.
Ganguly also deserves much credit in building the current Indian team
into what it is today. He has played a major role in grooming young
talents like Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Virender
Sehwag. In spite of initial opposition from the selectors, Ganguly
always has backed his own instincts and backed talented players over
the long haul.
For all his public aloofness and emotional outbursts, Ganguly is also
very much a "player's captain." Most of the Indian players - be it
Tendulkar , Harbhajan or Rahul Dravid - have publicly praised
Ganguly's leadership, mental toughness and motivating skills. In fact,
even a junior entrant like 17-year-old Parthiv Patel has recently
acknowledged Ganguly's suppor to his budding career.
Contrary to popular impression, Ganguly has led the team from the
front with the bat, with numerous match-winning knocks in crucial
moments. For example. against Sri Lanka at Kandy recently, he scored
98 not out in the second innings and ensured the Indian victory. In
the lone victory in the West Indies, Ganguly calmed the nerves of the
Indian side when wickets were tumbling to score 74 in the second
innings and, along with VVS Laxman, notch up the win. Even in the
Headingley Test, he scored a century.
In conclusion, looking objectively at all the facts, Ganguly could
possibly be declared as the best Indian left-handed batsman and
arguably the most successful captain that India has ever seen. This
will remain a legacy of Ganguly in Indian cricket history even if he
achieves nothing as spectacular in the remaining years of his
cricketing career. But on the other hand, if the past is any
indication, it is highly unlikely that this mentally tough cricketer
will be content to rest on his laurels.
The views expressed above are solely those of the guest
contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing
for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed
columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the
feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on
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CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.
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