Saturday, November 26, 2005
Ganguly, the politician
And I thought Sourav Ganguly was a sportsman. This past week, with some deft maneuvering - to get back in the Indian cricket team, and with some out-of-character sentimental acting, he has proven himself worthy of a very good political career. Ah... and sorry, before I forget, this admirable performance was solely and exclusively for his own good... not for the good of the cricket team, which is sure to crack down the middle after his return, or for the good of the paying cricket loving public, who are sure to see some exciting bat-flashing outside the off stump when they would probably prefer some solid traditional run scoring.
If Ganguly had remained arrogant and had tried to fight his way back to team, that would have been more in character. The Ganguly all of us thought we knew was the Ganguly that was a fighter - fierce, arrogant and unconventional. A lot of us respected him for having these qualities and a lot of us believed that he was the one who could build the team-spirit and killer instinct that the men-in-blue lacked. Before the current fiasco, I respected him for being a good leader of men, who led India to some of its more famous cricketing victories, and for being one of the best Indian off-side players of all times.
But now all that is gone, that respect has been replaced by derision, even disgust. Sourav Ganguly, in the matter of a few months, has become a joke for me. For me, his selection in the Indian test cricket team as a batting all-rounder is a joke, and reeks of politics. A cursory glance at the statistics of his test career supports my view - while his batting average is a respectable 41.18, he has only picked up 25 wickets in 84 tests matches at an average of 52.5. And he has played cricket for 10 years, enough time for the selectors to make their judgments about his "all-round" qualities. The presence of an outside hand, to me, is obvious. Sourav fans need to look at his record over the past few years and realize that dropping him from the team is an obvious action, and is not part of anyone's irrational agenda.
I agree with some points of the pro-Ganguly camp. I agree that he deserves a second chance, and I agree that he deserves a graceful exit after all he's done for the game in India. I, also, do not believe that, given a second chance, Ganguly will fail. Some of his performances in the past have been classy and he has the potential to improve his game. However, I protest against the way he is trying to strong-arm his way into the team. I, also, hate the way he is creating discord, both in the team and among cricket fans, to meet his own ends and satisfy his huge ego. His presence in the team is almost sure to be a disruptive influence. It will ensure that politics, and not performance, becomes the primary decision parameter in the Indian cricket team. It will make the Indian team regress.
So, for the good of the game, and for the good of Indian cricket, the call should be unequivocal - Quit, Ganguly. ¶ 8:23 PM
If Ganguly had remained arrogant and had tried to fight his way back to team, that would have been more in character. The Ganguly all of us thought we knew was the Ganguly that was a fighter - fierce, arrogant and unconventional. A lot of us respected him for having these qualities and a lot of us believed that he was the one who could build the team-spirit and killer instinct that the men-in-blue lacked. Before the current fiasco, I respected him for being a good leader of men, who led India to some of its more famous cricketing victories, and for being one of the best Indian off-side players of all times.
But now all that is gone, that respect has been replaced by derision, even disgust. Sourav Ganguly, in the matter of a few months, has become a joke for me. For me, his selection in the Indian test cricket team as a batting all-rounder is a joke, and reeks of politics. A cursory glance at the statistics of his test career supports my view - while his batting average is a respectable 41.18, he has only picked up 25 wickets in 84 tests matches at an average of 52.5. And he has played cricket for 10 years, enough time for the selectors to make their judgments about his "all-round" qualities. The presence of an outside hand, to me, is obvious. Sourav fans need to look at his record over the past few years and realize that dropping him from the team is an obvious action, and is not part of anyone's irrational agenda.
I agree with some points of the pro-Ganguly camp. I agree that he deserves a second chance, and I agree that he deserves a graceful exit after all he's done for the game in India. I, also, do not believe that, given a second chance, Ganguly will fail. Some of his performances in the past have been classy and he has the potential to improve his game. However, I protest against the way he is trying to strong-arm his way into the team. I, also, hate the way he is creating discord, both in the team and among cricket fans, to meet his own ends and satisfy his huge ego. His presence in the team is almost sure to be a disruptive influence. It will ensure that politics, and not performance, becomes the primary decision parameter in the Indian cricket team. It will make the Indian team regress.
So, for the good of the game, and for the good of Indian cricket, the call should be unequivocal - Quit, Ganguly. ¶ 8:23 PM
