Jhakas | Sanjay Jha
Sourav Ganguly rode like a true Knight Rider, the name of his Kolkota IPL franchise, with distinguished élan and resolute intent. If that drowning man clutching at a straw knock of 87 at Ahmedabad was not enough, his defiant , deliberate and determined innings of the same score at Kanpur, pulled India out of a murky situation, giving it crucial stability just when a dramatic capsize looked imminent. It was outstanding batting by a man who has come to typify gallantry, grit and guts of Indian cricket.
Ganguly is the stuff of real super-heroes, whose success can never be measured by dazzling statistics alone. It is a story of human spirit. Of an inspirational resurrection . Of defying the whole world, standing alone amidst a sea-storm raging the cracking cliff-tops, above which he has towered against mighty odds. That he was Man of the Match in a crucial game for India, which helped the host nation achieve a creditable draw in a tricky , trying series against the Proteas, is a manifestation of the continuing saga of a great comeback by the tough as nuts, southpaw Prince. In two successive innings, he forsake a personal milestone of a well-deserved century , for the sake of his country, unlike several more illustrious contemporaries of his. And they had called him selfish. Self-preserving. And seeped in individual pursuits. Go eat a humble pie, the cowardly , conniving , craven critics of Sourav, who once gloated with malevolent delight when a former Aussie coach maligned him, and savored his agony with sadistic joy. Continue reading below
As he showed during the South Africa series once again, it is Ganguly's obdurate, unrelenting mental toughness that has made him a singular icon. He has survived personal ignominy, professional hurt, and an incendiary assault on his cricketing character, to finally emerge where he always deserved to be. Even when unceremoniously, and shall we say, uncharitably dumped out of the ODI squad against Australia for no fault of his. He was clueless about his brutal axing; so were we. Naturally, since the " youth squad" emerged victorious, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly's rude belittlement received voluminous justification at the hands of over-zealous critics. But I guess that is the way we are.
I am glad India thumped the Proteas in the final Test, even if the pitch was downright treacherous and thieving , turning with the unpredictability of a serpent. If S Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, could survive 40 odd runs, the in-form visitors had no business to crumble into such a crestfallen cookie, collapsing into a jelly-bean like heap. I guess the home advantage is a double-edged sword, so even as the Indians will have to watch out for Johannesburg at a future date for a return compliment from the curators in South Africa , Kanpur has shown that Graeme Smith's team has to still fathom the mystery of dusty tracks in India. Given the stakes involved, and the psychological heat on India, India's face-saving victory is a meritorious accomplishment. A defeat here, would have re-opened nasty debates, deadly post-mortems, and created new ghosts.
The summer Test series is over in a remarkable hurry, as BCCI prepares decks for the IPL razzmatazz. The IPL is like a big Bollywood summer release, with teaser-trailers dominating TV advertising. But before the T20 circus takes over, reducing cricket into a bizarre baseball affair, let us take a brief pause. And salute the man, the Prince of Kolkota who deserves to be King.
King Khan has royal company.
