Finally, the apocalyptic has occurred. Dada says sayonara to cricket. The prince fortress has crumbled and he has finally succumbed to his critic’s desires. His endless endeavor to silence his critics concludes; his historical saga of contributions ends and for me it’s an acrimonious termination of a golden passionate era.
From a debutant centurion at Lords to leader who taught India to win outside subcontinent, from a charismatic offside cracker to a champion who triumphed on Australian and Pakistani soil, from an ace oneday opener who scored tons at will to captain who missed who by just a whisker what Kapil Dev achieved, from gritty southpaw to a aggressive leader Ganguly had been truly a hero of Indian Cricket. His batting heroics always thrived to come out of shadows of the Little Master, The Wall, Very Very Special, though never written off.
What made Ganguly special was his motivational, inspirational leadership that marked a new passionate era for Indian cricket. His faith and immense confidence in abilities of next generation star carved the path for their transformations from ordinary players to match winners. Dada always stood behind his players even forcing the authorities to bow down on several occasions. Mike Dennis was on one such example.
Like every cricketer he too suffered lows. The eventful Chappel era show Dada dropped from captaincy and team. But the grit he possessed marked his comeback and the energy he infused into team by his fighting spirit ,paved way from famous triumph(vs. South Africa). Endless are Dada’s contributions and I have faith that he in his farewell series will do wonders.
Many people will remember Sourav for his various virtues but for me his the Man who gave cricket the
“THE GREAT INDIAN HURDLE”
