A blog by Â(c)hinaman

This is a comment left on our site by a Sanjay Bhardwaj.
Its a shame to leave it tucked away as a comment, I want to share it with all our readers,

When i got to know about his retirement, i was very very deeply disappointed. I was very much disappointed. More than disappointment, i was frustrated to the core.
Why ?

Because, Sourav did not quit cricket, just because he is 36 years old or for any other reason. But, due to sheer humiliation from the selection committee, he had to quit.

I just cannot understand one thing. When Sourav Ganguly does not perform well, he will be immediately dropped from the team. But on the contrary, when other players does not perform well, why are they still in the team ? If i am not wrong, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only cricketer who has been performing consistently from the past 1 year or so. Apart from him, nobody else has performed. But still, DADA is targeted.

He was not picked for the Irani Trophy.
Why ? Just because he did not perform well in 1 single series against SriLanka? To say honestly, no other player had performed well in that series.

Then, why is sourav ganguly dropped ?
I ll tell you guys. Sourav was not dropped based on his performance. He was dropped, for reasons “other than cricket”. Whatever it is, if you look at his statistics as a player, do you think he should be dropped ? Isnâ?(tm)t there any respect for a senior player ? He has done so much for the team, which has made the whole of India swell with pride.

But, the people in selection committee, does whatever they feel. Injustice is ruling the world. And great players like DADA are paying the price for that.

But, certainly, i feel DADA should not have announced his retirement. We need his service for the team.

There is still so much to say about DADA, but i am so disappointed, that i am not even able to type. So, I would like to say 1 last thing finally— we will never ever get a player like Sourav ganguly in the history of cricket. Neither was a player like him, nor will be a player like DADA. If there is any true cricketer in this world with real guts and attitude, then it is one and only “Sourav Ganguly – Prince of Kolkata – Bengal Tiger – DADA” and nobody else.

I wish all the Good Luck to DADA in his future life. WE MISS YOU DADA…………

Sanjay’s own blog is http://www.sanjaybharadwaj.blogspot.com/

And I would like to add:

He was a player who faced short-pitched stuff on the pitch and as well from his management.

He was sidelined after his debut till he got a chance in 96 in England – not a flat track. He got in to play but not as first choice. He proved beyond doubt his capabilities with the very first innings. And followed it with another in the next test. Any team that values capability would have helped him build on it.

He was given the captaincy when the Indian team was guilty of match fixing – led in it by their then captain. He was given the captaincy because it was predicted he was bound to fail.
He didn’t.
He resurrected Team India and breathed a fighting spirit into it. To the dismay of many who themselves presented him the captaincy, he was firmly in control.

The knives had to come out. They wanted their team back, without Ganguly.
He was on the hit list even before Chappell came on to the scene. What followed in More-Chappell-Dravid era was a shameful era in our recent history that many have so conveiently forgotten … and quickly.

To non-Indians here I will only say, cricket is also about fairness and honesty.
I hope you have judged him in honest fairness before you write any derogatory comments. I presume you are aware of the internal regional politics that is Indian international cricket. It can destroy anything good in a team – just to grab what they greed for, be it money or simply power. That in Indian cricket there are wheels with wheels within wheels. Many of us Indians respect him for being brave enough to stand up to a corrupt, dishonest establishment – poisoned by inter-regional hatred. Unlike his predecessors he stood up for cricket and his players.

To judge his legacy without being aware of what he has been through in his career is grossly unfair. It is unfortunate for him that Ganguly played and captained the Indian team. He would have had an easier career in many other teams I can think of. We know what he really achieved and will always have a different opinion about him. Just statistics do not portray his achievements.

To judge him without knowing what he has gone through is not fair.
We are cricket enthusiasts, we should uphold honesty and fairness.

There are many achievements I will remember him for – and I will always derive the most pleasure from the way he exposed Greg Chappell the coach as a fraud.

Saurav GangulyÂ(c)hinaman