There are a very few people on Earth whom other people can either love or hate, but can never ignore. In the world of cricket, Sourav Ganguly is one such character: one of the most controversial and colorful characters in this arena for the last 12 years.
In a game, most players are judged by their performances: how many runs, how many wickets, how many centuries made in a calendar year, how many records he broke, how many are yet to be broken- so on and so forth. But Sourav Ganguly cannot be judged by a scoreboard alone- for him, the game of cricket was not merely scoring runs or taking a couple of wickets.....it was much more than that. A combination of aggression, elegance and emotion, our beloved Dada is a complete package on the ground.
On the off side, first there is God, and then Dada.........Rahul Dravid said about him at the very early stage of his career. Such was Sourav's elegance in this shot that a conservative and perfectionist like Sir Geoffrey Boycott coined him as Prince of Calcutta. He is the most succesful captain India has ever seen, has scored maximum number of runs in the opening partnership along with the Maestro Sachin Tendulkar in the one-day internationals, has the Treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in one-dayers------all these information just add more lines in his resume. The way he led the team on the ground, the way he responded to the audacity and obnoxious behaviour of Steve Waugh and also the way he completely ignored the century-old tradition of the Lords' Cricket Ground will be always remembered in the history of cricket.
His philosophy was simple: If you bother me, you have to face the consequences. he firmly believed in what he did, and did not care about what others thought about him. It may seem like he is proud, selfish and arrogant, but that's the way he is......a lot different than the others.
He did not possess the techniques and tenacity of Rahul Dravid, the spontaneity of VVS, but he was unique in his own way. Strong determination and indomitable courage covered for his other shortcomings. His performance during the last one-and-a-half year since his comeback in South Africa speaks for his determination and character strength.
No drama, no tears, just a couple of words: I quit, it is time to go. This guy has played like a king, and is departing like a king. As Neville Cardus once said
We remember not the scores and the results in after years, it is the men who remain in our minds.
Truely, Dada will remain not only in our minds, but in our hearts as well.
Maharaja, tomarey selaam.
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