Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come."

BOB WOOLMER : REST IN PEACE

1948 - 2007




Death may be the essential condition of life, but its suddenness can shock and benumb feelings. Good men must die, but death cannot kill their names. The sudden death of Bob Woolmer has sent shivers down my spine at the very least and has stun the cricketing world. IndianWatchdogs.com offers its sincerest and deepest condolences to Bob Woolmer's family and his near and dear ones for his unfortunate and untimely death. Despite the extenuating circumstances surrounding his death, Bob Woolmer's sudden departure reminds us that death does not favour anyone.

Bob Woolmer was born in Kanpur, UP, India in 1948. Born in Kanpur, India. There was never a doubt about his future career. His father put a bat and ball in his cot and at 3, he made his home debut in the back garden. At 11, he watched Hanif Mohammed score 499 for Karachi. At 20, he made his debut for Kent. The score book says 50 not out.



In 1970/71, he has his first experience of playing and coaching in South Africa. The very next year, he made his international debut for England. He gets picked for the WC 1975 squad but he manages to break his hand the day before the tournament starts. He is left to do the 12th man duties.

Woolmer is selected as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year in 1976 to recognise his growing credentials.

But Woolmer’s international career stalled after he joined the World Series Cricket break-away group run by Kerry Packer. Though he appeared intermittently in the Test team up to 1981, he never recaptured the form of the mid 1970s.

He retired from First Class cricket, and emigrated to South Africa the next year, teaching at high schools and coaching cricket and hockey in disadvantaged areas. In 1991, he is appointed Director of Coaching at Warwickshire CCC. He is in the dressing room when Brian Lara scores 501* to break Hanif’s record. It makes him one of very few people to have seen both innings live. South Africa wins 73% of its one-day internationals, and 10 out of 15 Test series during his reign between 1995 and 1999. Woolmer leaves the job after South Africa fails to make the World Cup final by 0.1 of run .

In 2005, he is appointed the coach of Pakistan ' and I’m still standing! That's what his website states though sadly it would need to reflect the tragic change in events.

Cricinfo wrote:

As a coach, his pioneering use of computers to show, for example, where opposing batsmen scored their runs may have stemmed from an experience of his own, batting against Mike Brearley’s Middlesex. “Knowing I liked the cover-drive, he had Mike Selvey bowling at me wide of off stump, with two slips and two gulleys. In 45 minutes, I scored 12. Then I chased another wide one from Selvey and was caught at second slip.” In the 1996 World Cup, Graeme Hick was a notable victim of Woolmer’s computer-based analysis, which revealed that if Hick could be kept scoreless for a spell, he tended to flick an off-stump ball in the air to midwicket. The trap was sprung by Fanie de Villiers, and Brian McMillan took the catch.

It's a tragic end to a truly remarkable man, who did justice to his potential and coaching commitments. Pakistan's shock exclusion from the World Cup is dwarfed by the death of Bob Woolmer. He was a gentleman and fronted a very professional self at all times. The world is a sadder place without him. The cricketing world has lost a great cricketing brain. Cricket is poorer by his death.

Bob Woolmer ' May your soul rest in peace.


- Ranja,
Editor, www.IndianWatchdogs.com

Direct link to the article : http://indianwatchdogs.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=10508

Often, I have read in various forums the mention of “fanatic supporters of Ganguly” and a reference to their state of origin, Bengal. I take the liberty of precisely quoting someone “I am concerned about how healthy is the fanatical support base of him is, for Indian cricket. Selectors and administrators, should be able to freely discharge there duties, without fear of political interference and intimidation”. All these words came out in response to a comment in a Bengali daily by Mr Gopal Bose, referred to without any respect as, “a retired 1st Class cricketer from Bengal”. The quotation in question (as translated) is as follows: “10 deers, arrayed behind a tiger, can be transformed into tigers”

Whenever I read the posts like these, it seems to me that any non-Indian reading the same post may feel that the fans of Ganguly are undermining the vary health of Indian Cricket for their support of a cricketer of no calibre. It also seems to me by reading these posts that the “retired 1st Class cricketer from Bengal” is not qualified enough to make any such comments. Side-tracking the discussion on Ganguly's calibre, let me dig deep into the cricket scene in Bengal and find out what these “retired 1st Class cricketer"s "from Bengal” are.

Have any of these so-called pundits ever looked into the cricket world of Bengal? Do they know a story of neglect and disrespect from 1940s? Do they know of a bowler called Shute Banerjje ? In the long list of unlucky cricketers originating from Bengal, Shute Banerjee would probably find pride of place. He toured England in 1936 and 1946 without playing a Test. He played an unofficial `Test’ as early as 1935 against Jack Ryder’s Australian team, was good enough to play in three `Tests’ against Lord Tennyson’s team two years later, and also played one `Test’ against the Australian Services team in 1945. But his full Test career was limited to just one appearance, by which time he was 35. His name however is immortalised by his batting heroics in a first class match at the Oval in 1946. He and Chandu Sarwate added 249 runs in 190 minutes for the last wicket for the Indian tourists against Surrey. Sarwate made 124 not out, Banerjee, going in last, scored 121 and it is still the only time in first-class cricket that Nos. 10 and 11 have scored centuries. That was a day when Bedser couldn’t knock over two tailenders

Fast forward to my time - I started following cricket from circa 1973-74. Bengal has been a good cricketing state since early 1970s. I can name Gopal Bose, Raja and Raju Mukherjee (one of them writes for Calcutta Telegraph), Barun Burman, Subroto Porel, and Dilip Doshi as players who should have a chance to play for India.

Every one of them was capable of playing for India - and they were an exceptional - but typically laid back side. Gopal Bose played unofficial tests against Ceylone (Sri Lanka) and scored century. Doshi played for India with distinction, Subroto Porel was arguably best medium pacer at that time - and on his days Barun Barman could bowl real fast. Gopal Bose is another of the prime example of injustice shown to the Bengal Cricketers from the very beginning. In 1970s when ParthaSarathi Sharmas and Solkars were given chance after chance to partner Gavaskar - this opener was overlooked again and again. My question is WHY ?

Some may point out that Bengal never were the champions in those days. True, in those days - Bengal used to play in the regional league only and never made much impact in the second (knock out) stage ' primarily because of “first innings lead” rule and their “happy go lucky” spirit. I however want to ask - does championship matter? If these players were talented - and I ascertain they were - why they were not given a chance?

Anyway - after them there was a temporary void - that improved with players from outside the state migrating to Bengal - specifically ArunLal and Ashok Malhotra. Sambaran Banerjee was an able leader (why he was overlooked and Bharat Reddy was taken to England ?) and Utpal Chatterjee(another spinner, overlooked again and again, preference given to Venkatapathy “Muscles” Raju) with some local good players (but not exceptional) like IB Roy, lead to good performance. Snehasish Ganguly, Sourav Ganguly, Devang Gandhi , Lr Shukla continued the tradition. Newer players are emerging.

The present team is the runners-up in last year’s Ranji Trophy. Can someone tell me how many players from Bengal are in the Indian A team ? (Yes - I am not talking about the Indian team)

One or Two?

The tradition of neglect still continues.


Think of this background - think carefully of this background and tradition of consistently being neglected despite producing talented cricketers for more than 50 yrs & still being neglected - and then try to understand why that region of India is so passionate about Ganguly, why Ganguly is such an icon in Bengal. If you understand that, then try to criticise those fans, who see their iconic Indian Captain fall from grace and publicly humiliated by people of lesser credentials and react, at times violently. If you understand the pain and frustrations of generations of talented but neglected cricketers, then try to criticise those “retired 1st Class cricketer from Bengal” who see the fulfilment of their dreams through Ganguly. I see no wrong in the iconic status of Ganguly - as many of these pundits want us to believe. Ganguly for Bengal represents the answer to the long injustice - starting from Shute Banerjee in 1940s.

Without trying to understand this background, no one has any right to criticise the so called “fanatic fans”. Neither they have any right to ignore and belittle these respected former cricketers.

Above all, if India’s obsession with Sachin is not harmful and has not gone too far, Bengal’s obsession with Ganguly has not gone far either.


Somsuj,

Chief Moderator,  IndianWatchdogs.com

They say when the going gets tough, tough gets going. What do you do, if you are the (statistically) most successful Indian Cricket captain, have just lead India to the maximum number of tests and is dropped from the team in a stepwise fashion over a short period of time? I do not know what I would have done myself, but I know of a person who did not give up. He did not give up for more than a year. He continued to toil hard in the domestic circuit, went to play in English County, his form faltered, created more controversy and never gave up.

I feel extremely happy that Sourav Ganguly has finally made the transition to the test squad in South Africa. There have not been many takers for Ganguly's chances, his form with bat did not really set anything on fire and his bowling is never going to purchase wickets in international matches. However his return to the side after a long gap highlights the story of tremendous determination, dynamism and above all self-belief.

Following Ganguly's return from Zimbabwe, he initially may have thought that he had the upper hand. I do not know how he reacted in private to the subsequent removal from captaincy of the ODI team and the mild thrashing of being dropped from the ODI team for the first two games, but I know that he was determined to fight it out. After recovering from a mild tennis elbow, he launched into the first available opportunity in domestic circuit with vengeance. He simply refused to fade away. In the centenary year of Kumar Duleepsinhji, in the Duleep Trophy championship he responded with a century in the first game. He lead and won the match for East Zone. The real knock out punch came when he was dropped from the team subsequently. His performances against Zimbabwe XI and the “pair” in the final did not endear him to anyone and he stayed out of the team.

 

Sourav Ganguly's fall from grace was complete when he was removed as captain as the test side. He managed to retain his place in the team amidst allegation of pressure on the selectors to retain him in the team. Ganguly stepped down from Bengal captaincy on the way to Poona for a Ranji game against Maharshtra, Hours after being removed as captain of the national team. In that match, Ganguly took five wickets and scored a century again. However controversy erupted as Ganguly’s score in domestic cricket was flashed across the electronic scoreboard during an ODI at the Eden Gardens, where India was faring poorly. Not so inspired performances in the Sri Lankan Test series and the ignominy of being dropped from the test squad for the third test too followed. He somehow managed to go to Pakistan amidst allegation of skipping Ranji games and was “asked” to play in one of the games before travelling to Pakistan. The famous televised “discussion” followed and the only batting opportunity came in the third test at Karachi - after being dropped in the second test. His scores in thirties attracted more scrutiny and esp in the manner he was out was criticised. He was left out of the ODI squad and was not picked for the subsequent England’s tour of India and the Caribbean tour.

Ganguly’s travails continued and he managed to reach the Semi-final of the Ranji Trophy One-Day Tournament, 2005-06, though his performance remained anything but confident. As a final insult, a last ball six in Deodhar Trophy, 2005-06, remained etched in the followers’ memory. In the Domestic season 2005-06, the following are his statistics :

BATTING :

 

BOWLING :

 

Ganguly looked outwards after not securing a place in the West Indies tour. He signed for Northamptonshire. The season that followed was not brilliant and was brilliantly summarised by ranja, our editor in Ganguly : Where does he go from here?

When everyone thought Ganguly has nowhere to go - Ganguly himself was never thinking of giving it up. Once again he took the path of Domestic Championships. He was not selected for the Irani Trophy, His performances in Moin-ud-Dowla tournament & Challengers were not brilliant. He redeemed himself to some extent in the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy games he has played. Ganguly, against all odds, has been included in the squad for the Test series in South Africa. The Indian team’s miserable form and the youngsters’ failure to meet expectations may have contributed to his inclusion.

Unbelievably, Ganguly has been given the opportunity to resurrect his career on the hostile pitches in South Africa. Time and again, Sourav has overcome such situations with his typical character, courage and confidence. Throughout his international career, he has this ability to surprise people. Any captain who can envisage a victory on Australian and Pakistani soils is either pompous or tremendously self-confident. We are glad Ganguly turned out to be the latter. Ganguly is experienced enough take on his demons within and without. I like to see him come to South Africa with an open, uncluttered mind. He has to take a fresh guard, with no confusion around, thinking that it's an opportunity he has been waiting for long and he must not let it go untried. He just needs to concentrate cent per cent on his game, away from those doubts he must have gone through in the past few months and let performance do all the talking. Sourav is arriving at a crucial juncture in South Africa. It is crucial for him and also for the Indian team. And I believe, a champion's destiny is in his own hands.

Will Ganguly be able to go to the World Cup 2007 ? This is a theme he has repeated so often in last 12 months, an ambition that has lead me to believe that he wants to call it a day in glorious fashion at the centre stage. I think it is too early to predict anything on this matter. Ganguly needs to use his opportunities well and prove to himself and his detractors that “he still has it”.

Sourav Ganguly's recall for Indian test team is the proverbial turning of the full circle of the wheel. When this forum was formed Ganguly was the epitome of everything that was wrong with Indian Cricket. The name of our forum at that time produced knee jerk reaction from almost everybody. Love & hate are just words. We went beyond them, and if anyone looks back, we did not tolerate, let alone nurture, any hatred then. What we did was to address the quagmire of favouritism, zonal politics and selectors' incompetence and dilly-dallying that is reminiscent of Indian Cricket. Ganguly was nothing but a representation of the system and its faults. One year down the line, has anything really changed? After a brief & bright flicker last season, Indian Cricket has gone back to its usual ways, non-performers are persisted with. Old blue eyed boys have given place to new blue-eyed boys. Double standards are rife both in selection of the select 15/16 and in the choice of playing 11. We still are opposed to any preferential treatment meted out to individuals based on past glory. Basking in past laurels is certainly not a fashion we, at IWD, style ourselves on. No one is indispensable when it comes to a matter of representing the country at the highest level.

As much as we like to see the “tough” to “get going”, somewhere inside I feel all is not well with Indian Cricket and there has not been any real change in the last 12 months.

I hope I am proved wrong.

Somsuj,

Chief Moderator, IndianWatchdogs.com

 

Direct link to the article: http://indianwatchdogs.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=9013

Judgment is like elastic, it snaps back at you. As Darrell Hair can testify in hindsight or at his convenience, assuming the combined roles of judge and jury can have dramatic repercussions as witnessed at the Oval on day 4 of the 4th and final test between England and Pakistan. The sprawling Oval strategically located in south west London transpired as the unfortunate venue to stage Test cricket's first ever forfeiture. 1814 Tests and at last a forfeiture to stigmatise the exponents of the bowling art.



The initial quandary is not whether Pakistan cheated or not, as that would become evident as the days roll by. What demands dissection is the method to the madness by an Umpire who, despite his claims and echoed by his fellow white-coated colleagues that he remains a very fair executioner of decisions, has continued to churn out decisions against teams from the sub-continent in one way or another. His presence, whenofficiating in teams involving India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka, has never inspired a great deal of confidence amongst the players. Employing certain laissez-faire attributes, he never quite struck a chord with the followers and the purists. The fourth most experienced Umpire seemed to have a preference to be selectively biased.

Innocent until proven guilty echo sane sentiments. However, no evidence or pointers were furnished to make the job of deciphering this sporting malarkey any easier. By invoking Law 42.3 and awarding 5 runs to England, Hair categorically alleged that the ball was tampered with by the Pakistanis. In common terminology, they were branded cheats without the courtesy of an explanation or evidence to corroborate the impulsive branding. All too often, the person in charge tramples over his eagerness to be authoritative. Thought process in such scenarios usually takes a detour whilst intransigence acquires prominence. Not an ideal way to deal with an issue as sensitive as ball tampering in such a manner. At the very least, the Captain should have been made aware of any suspicions that the Umpires were harbouring. Agreed that the Umpires are under no obligation to employ courteous behaviour but such acts of indifference to basic etiquette can snowball given the recipients of such indiscretions.

Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka can vouch for Hair's selective indiscretions. Hair no-balled Muralitharan seven times for throwing in three overs on the opening day of the second Test against Australia in Melbourne in 1995. The Sri Lankan Captain Arjuna Ranatunga led his team off the field in protest. When they returned, Muralitharan switched to the other end where he was not called by Steve Dunne. Hair was vigorously unrepentant in his 1998 autobiography Decision Maker in which he said Muralitharan’s action was “diabolical” and added he was prepared to call him again.



In 2004, Hair and fellow umpire Billy Bowden reported Pakistan fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed for a suspect bowling action. Controversy involving Pakistan flared again late last year in the second Test against England at Faisalabad, when Hair called a dead ball because Salman Butt had run on the pitch. Earlier this year, Pakistan were angered by Hair’s decision to refer a run-out call involving captain Inzamam to the third umpire, despite the skipper only being out of his ground because he was taking evasive action. In the same Test, Hair warned opener Salman Butt for running down the middle of the pitch, sent him back to the striker’s end and gave him out lbw next ball. Recently, Pakistan were incensed when Kevin Pietersen was given not out after what appeared to be a big inside edge to wicketkeeper Kamal Akram in the third Test at Headingley. Pietersen went on to score 135. The team management duly reported their concerns regarding Hair to the ICC. Sunday’s incident, when Hair penalised Pakistan five runs and ordered a ball change, was the final straw for Pakistan who were adjudged to have forfeited the match when they failed to take the field in time after tea.

It has been that way from his very first match, a Test between Australia and India at Adelaide in January 1992 which Australia won by 38 runs. A flick through the pages of Wisden reveals that the game was “marred… by controversy over lbw decisions - eight times Indians were given out, while all but two of their own appeals were rejected”. At the same ground a year later, South Africa’s Peter Kirsten was incensed by a series of lbw decisions from Hair, eventually prompting an outburst which cost him 65% of his match fee.



In retrospect, Inzy would probably agree that his team's approach of barricading themselves in the dressing room, as comfortable as it might have been what with recourse to tidy facilities, may not have been the brightest idea after all. A dose of circumspection coupled with a trickle of information relating to connotations of cricketing laws would have helped a great deal in tackling the issue in a much more conducive manner. Amidst all the hullabaloo, the authorities and players alike were not keen to spare a thought or two for the minor inconvenience, as their actions interpreted, was causing the 20,000 odd spectators and the millions watching worldwide on TV.

If the Umpires failed to witness the ball tampering, and considering that 26 TV cameras were not able to pick up anything either, penalising Pakistan on the basis of suspicion only is erroneous to say the least. Instead, changing the ball and warning the Captain would have sufficed and could have avoided the unfortunate and acrimonious ending. Furthermore, and given time this would become evident as well, were the Pakistani camp made aware of a possible forfeiture if they continued with their untimely protest? Most, if not all, Match Referee reports do not make dents in the publicity stakes. Mike Proctor's impending report on the events will sure fascinate eye balls across the globe.

While any contravention by Pakistan would result in serious repercussions, and not to forget the media’s role in endlessly regurgitating events, if the findings were to exonerate Pakistan's involvement in ball tampering, would the powers that be deal with the concerned officials in stern fashion usually reserved for the players?

With the unavailability of Ranjan Madugalle and the resulting postponement of the disciplinary hearing, almighty India taking a wait-and-see approach, England downplaying their role in the episode and Simon Taufel throwing his weight around in support of his colleague, a deadly game has already begun. Finger pointing has become a favourite pastime in recent days. Don’t be surprised though if the final outcome, thanks to almost-certain diplomatic and political manoeuvring, turns out to be anti-climactic, with Inzy apologizing for his emotions getting the better of him, because the game was so hard fought, et cetera, ICC promising a review of 42.3, which will be finished no sooner than the 2007 World Cup in all probability and Hair deciding to retire after the World Cup quoting, most probably, personal reasons.

By Ranja, Editor (IndianWatchdogs.com)

www.IndianWatchdogs.com 
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"I need to play matches and get runs. I have to work on getting my form back and I won’t get it back by sitting at home."

So began Ganguly’s sojourn at Northamptonshire for a brief stretch of 6 weeks afer failing to make the side for the West Indies tour. The signing by Northamptonshire drew gasps of excitement and expectation. Kepler Wessels, then Northants coach, showered wholesome praise on Ganguly, “Ganguly is a very exciting player to watch.He is a tremendous batsman and will be highly motivated as he is keen to win back his place in the Indian team.” The Northants Chief Executive Mark Tagg went on to add, “We are delighted that Ganguly has signed. It took a while to finalise but we were never worried as we had had verbal confirmation. He will be a very exciting player, particularly in the Twenty20 Cup matches."

Six weeks later, expectation was cruelly knocked out by a string of failures on the county trail and led to one disgruntled Northants fan letting it rip, “Whatever he is earning, it is too bloody much.” It was difficult not to agree with him.

Ganguly’s stats at Northamptonshire. Liverpool Victoria County Championship Division Two 2006 Batting             M     I     NO     R     HS     Avg              3      5       0       19      9      3.8      Bowling         O     M     R     W     Avge     Best        36     8   112       2       56.0       1-29 The Twenty20 Cup 2006 Batting             M     I     NO     R     HS     Avg              8        8     1     215    73      30.71      Bowling         O     M     R     W     Avge     Best        28     1     210    10       21.0      2-17 NatWest Pro40 Batting             M     I     NO     R     HS     Avg              1     1       0         9       9         9.0     Bowling         O     M     R     W     Avge     Best        28     0       34     0         0.0       0-0 C&G Trophy Batting             M     I     NO     R     HS     Avg               1     1       0       71     71     71.0     Bowling         O     M     R     W     Avge     Best         5       0      31     0       0.0         0-0

Amidst all the debates, failings, limited success, and endless drama resulting from carefully chosen email recipients, an apparent conclusion could be drawn in the manner of approach. Trying too hard could prove to be a futile exercise as might be evident from Ganguly's period at Northamptonshire and his desire to be a part of the Indian set-up. It's almost as if nous and tight-lipped protocol have given way to desperation coupled with an urgency to be noticed. In purely batting terms, the 6 week stint at Northants was a failure and quite insignificant in adding much of note to the county's efforts to progress in the table.

Ganguly's foray into County cricket is nothing new. His time in 2005 for Glamorgan was a very successful one with him topping the batting averages for the County. In 2000, Ganguly represented Lancashire and had a fairly successful season for them. Relations, however, were frosty with Lancashire in 2000, which Flintoff said was "like having Prince Charles on your side".

Where does he go from here now? If anything, the brief tenure at Northants has done more damage to his batting credibility that what was wished for prior to the June. Choices can desert you in the hour of need when failures pile on with alarming consistency. Proving himself on the domestic scene in India might be the only way he may work towards his goal of making his 3rd World Cup appearance in West Indies next year. Based on his recent form and his dwindling ability to carve out noteworthy innings, time is at a premium for him. However, stranger things have happened in India, where internal wranglings, nepotism and politics have been known to further many a career whilst sidelining worthy replacements.



For the cricketing aficionado, devoid of any regional allegiance , witnessing Ganguly on a downward spiral is not something that can be cherished. Here is a man who grabbed his opportunity in Test cricket in 1996 and scored a century at Lords on his debut. The initiation script couldn’t have been written in a better way. To top of it, he took a wicket off his 7th ball in Test cricket. Incidentally, another debutant by the name of Dravid, missed on a hundred by 5 runs.

Ganguly, or Lord Snooty as some call him, is the kind of man people love to hate. However, one cannot discard his varied contributions to the good of Indian cricket. Ganguly had an arrogance that was tweaked to annoy the opposition. He seemed to accomplish this with minimum fuss. The mild-mannered, softly-spoken predecessors made way for this bold, brash bully who could do an admirable job in winding up the opposite numbers. Having prolific run-scorers in the side in the form of Tendulkar and Dravid was never going to make it easy for Ganguly to bask in his laurels and avoid the onus of performing with the bat. It was his sheer bloody-mindedness at Captaincy and the success he achieved at the helm that somehow masked his less than impressive showings with the bat. His failures weren’t being ignored though and he found himself in a tricky position. The leader of the pack was being expected to perform as well and he didn’t seem to be either willing or prepared. Ganguly was slowly turning into a very good non-performing Captain. The daggers were out and with the change in guard that paved the way for Wright’s departure and heralded Chappell into the Indian think-tank, things would only get worse. What transpired since has been much publicised and grants me an excuse to refrain from repetition.



22 ODI hundreds, 12 Test hundreds, over 10,000 ODI runs, over 5,000 Test runs - such phenomenal statistics deserve more the derision that seems to chase Ganguly like an unwanted accomplice. In his prime, it would have been hard to find a better timer of the ball or a better player of spinners. His 22 ODI hundreds are a huge testimony to his prowess as a brilliant batsman. Who could forget his hundred at Headingley in 2002 when Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly mesmerised by launching a stinging attack on the hapless English bowlers. Ganguly, in particular, dished out the most unkind treatment to pacemen and spinners alike. He tonked the ball into the stands with a nonchalance that few in international cricket could match. He put the team ahead of self and wasted no time in the nervous nineties. Spirited and daring stuff from a man who was dismissed for 99 in just his last innings. Despite the dodgy light and the frequent usage of light-meters, Ganguly shrugged it off as a minor inconvenience and said to the umpires, “We’ll play on.” Ganguly and Tendulkar carried on to bludgeon 249 in 59.3 overs for the fourth wicket.

With the passage of time however, reactions slow down and skills erode slightly. With Ganguly though, it was a case of embracing stagnation. It made it all the more easier for the doubting Thomases to validate their cases for his omission. With Chappell in the scheme of things, it wasn’t long before Ganguly was sidelined. Despite a brief call back to face Pakistan, when he did admirably well in comparison to the others in the side, he was sidelined as inexplicably as he was brought into the side in the first place. Such are the vagaries of selection, that one really is at the mercy of the whims of selectors.

If Ganguly decides to continue playing in the hope of realising his World Cup 2007 dream, it isn’t going to be an easy ride. Any cricketing exploits on the field with the bat will attract the nit-pickers, who will do their best to belittle the performances whilst ridiculing the quality of the opposition. If perseverance were a factor, Ganguly should command a place in the side. How else can you expect someone to carry on regardless in the hope of being recalled after having been stripped of the Captaincy, dropped from the side, recalled and then dropped again, and all within the space of just over 12-odd months? It must be taken into consideration that we are not just dealing with someone who would have probably got the hints and changed course by now. Ganguly, though, is determined to carry on, either to satiate the demands of his ego or to knock his detractors off from their lofty pedestals. Such an attitude is commendable but nevertheless makes a mockery of his intentions when form deserts him with such alarming regularity and extenuating factors play a pivotal role for him to engage needlessly in accusing a certain provider of being the Judas.

Sportsmen and politics can form an awful concoction. Ganguly has always been mired in politics whether his own doing or as a result of someone else’s interference. Credibility suffers as a result despite the numerous positive contributions that have emanated from Ganguly over the years. Reputations are created every day and minute yet they could be destroyed forever. If Ganguly had a choice, he would be keen to bottle his longevity and use it sparingly. It’s apparent that he wants to be in the thick of the action on the field. What he seems to be struggling with though is his ability to churn out big scores and refrain himself from acceding to the unhealthy demands of political and point-scoring exercises.

It would be unwise to write him off just yet. However, it wouldn’t amount to folly either if such a scenario were to be entertained. Ganguly’s legacy, as colourful and thoroughly intoxicating as it might be, would do well to hang onto the finer aspects of his career and shrug the rest to oblivion. He deserves the appreciation and recognition for what he has achieved for Indian cricket. He also needs time to seriously contemplate his future and base his future decisions not on possibilities but practicality.

By Ranja, Editor cricketwatchdogs.com

Direct link to the article :—–> http://www.IndianWatchdogs.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=7309

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Leading from the front - Rahul Dravid


Chris Evert, the great tennis legend, once remarked, "90% percent of my game is mental. It's my concentration that has gotten me this far." Concentration and mental stoutness are the margins of victory. Rahul Sharad Dravid has demonstrated time and time again that he is a paragon of concentration and mental toughness. In a final test, which incidentally lasted just 3 days, Dravid batted for 63.5 overs in total, which is almost twice the number of overs West Indies negotiated in the first innings and nearly as many as the WI faced in the 2nd innings. 22% of all runs scored in the final test were from Dravid's blade, which is a huge testimony to his sheer bloody mindedness to grind it out under difficult conditions and perform when it really matters. Leading from the front maybe be a catchy phrase for some but Dravid certainly treats it with due respect.

Throughout the 3 days of fluctuating balance of advantages, Dravid seemed to be batting on a different track to the one that scalped many a victim with its assistance to the bowlers. The predominantly batsmen friendly pitches in the recent past have had the uncanny ability to exaggerate a batsman's prowess with the willow. Furnish a bowler-friendly track and some batsmen could cut a sorry figure. Many a flat track have spawned many a good knock. The few and far between seaming and turning tracks have a glorious tendency of separating batsmen with potential from the world class batsmen, who seem to thrive on such situations to further their reputation as the very best to ever have wielded a willow.

Rahul Dravid is a consummate professional juxtaposed with a coaching manual style, which over the years has not just embraced the changing demands of modern cricket but has mastered it to perfection. By the time he retires and based on his prolific scoring ability, he ought to be considered as one of the best ever batsmen of all time. The No.3 slot in the Indian line up has been made his own and with aplomb too.

The beauty of his batsmanship lies in his simplicity. He has the remarkable ability to read the pitch and knuckle down or up the tempo as the situation desires. Adaptability has been Dravid's driving force for the past decade. Not one to rest on his laurels or achievements, Dravid has consistently tried to better himself. As far as the Indian team is concerned, he is indispensable in its quest for success.


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by ranja, editor (IndianWatchdogs.com)