Posts Tagged ‘Saurav Ganguly’

Saurav Ganguly: The World’s Most Scrutinized Batsman??

Over the last couple of weeks I have read at least 3 different newspaper columns by various cricket experts including Ravi Shastri enlightening me about the number of dot balls that Saurav Ganguly has played in the IPL 2010.

Barely a few minutes back, Michael Holding commentating on Set Max in the ongoing Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals match reminded me of the fact even as Saurav Ganguly caressed a second four into the off-side boundary in the very first over.

Michael Holding tells me that at 47% Ganguly has the second highest dot ball percentage amongst all openers in this year’s IPL championship.

( ….yet another boundary preceded by a couple of dot balls..that is 66.67% dot balls…)

If Holding would have added that with 3 half centuries, 47 hits to the fence and 11 over it and a total of 389 runs, Saurav Ganguly is the 7th highest scorer in the IPL 2010, I might have been tempted to forgive him. But he ain’t done no such thing….

Compare this: Ganguly has a strike rate of 114.07  thus far whereas Jacques Kallis has an average which is slightly better at 119.64. Yet, have you heard of any criticisim of Kallis anywhere?

All this is not too surprising if you have been avidly following Ganguly’s career and the scrutiny he has faced throughout.

No one, including Ganguly himself would ever make a case of the man being the world’s soundest batsman. But he has defied critics continuously, and raised the bar, whenever the going has been tough. Two prime examples immediately come to mind….

On that famous tour down under when India crashed into Steve Waugh’s farewell party, it was Ganguly who set the tone with a resolute 144 in the 1st Test after his more cherished, more technically sound colleagues had been dismissed cheaply.

Had Ganguly, and alongwith him India, caved in that morning, the rest of the series would likely have taken a most different route from thereon.

The other less famous but what I consider a greater example was the South Africa tour where Ganguly was summoned midway when each and every Indian had proved to be a miserable failure till our man arrived.

Let me help you recollect some amazing statistics:

Ganguly was not a part of the ODI series and this is what happened – the first match was abandoned, India lost the 2nd One Day by 157 runs, the 3rd one by 107 runs, the 4th one by 80 runs and the last one by 9 wickets! Imagine what carnage must have taken place.

Forget their overall totals, not a single Indian batsman figured in the list of the top 5 batsmen for the series. In all, just 2 half centuries were scored by Indian batsmen in a five match ODI series.

Sachin Tendulkar scored a total of 93 runs in his 4 innings.

Then Ganguly was called at the beginning of the Test series.

First India won the pre-test series warm-up match thanks to Saurav. What happened next was bigger.

India, which had been battered and bruised and annihilated 4-0 in the ODI series came back to surprise South Africa and win the 1st Test Match at Johannesburg - India’s first ever Test Victory in South Africa!

Ganguly scored a half-century and was the highest scorer for India in the 1st innings and his brief cameo in the 2nd innings was the 2nd best effort from any Indian.

Overall, Saurav Ganguly finished as the highest scorer for India in that series and was overall the 3rd highest scorer, and overall had the 2nd best average in the Test series. That India couldn’t wrap up the Test series and actually lost tells you how badly the more celebrated Indian batsmen fared in the tough South African conditions.

This was a small couplet I had written during that series on my man:

Even during this IPL he was being dismissed as ‘finished’ when he failed in the first couple of matches. Look at the comeback he has made.

Did you notice that even while showering all the accolades on Ganguly and making a strong case for the Prince of Kolkata I have not even talked about the areas where Ganguly is strongest?

The above is a tale of his exploits in IPL and Tests, areas where his performance has been the ‘weakest’. Now add to this his exploits in the One Day International arena and his super achievements as the captain of India, and you will get a proper perspective on this much scrutinized player.

Saurav Ganguly finished his cricket career as one of the world’s most successful ODI batsmen of all time. For a number of years, he was far ahead of his opening partner Sachin Tendulkar in terms of number and statistics.

He is still India’s most successful captain ever.

What more do you want?

 ****

Post Script: Did you notice Dada’s fielding in this IPL? 2 Karbon Kamaals (sic) for a man pushing 40… korbo, lorbo, jitbo re

Kolkata Knight Riders Win!!!! Korbo Lorbo Jitbo Re!!!!

What comebacks from KKR!!!

From 0/2 to 161/4 and then down and out in the chase when Gilchrist and Gibbs were going great and the score read 99/1 in only 11 overs  to come back and steal a victory. Way to go Kolkata!

All in all, SRK, SG and LM must all be happy men tonight. SRK and SG got a much needed win while for Modi it was a perfect start to IPL: this is what the T20 fan is looking for – lots of ups and downs to keep him/her enthralled through the 40 overs.

Match Summary: Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders

• Final Scores:
  • KKR: 161/4 (Owais Shah 58 not out, Angelo Matthews 65 not out, Vaas 2/22)
  • DC: 150/7 (Gilchrist 54, Murali Karthik 1/17)
• Man of the Match: Angelo Matthews

The man who actually turned it around for the Knights was Murali Karthik. It was all going the Hyderabadi’s way when Karthik came in, and then the turnaround began. Kudos also to Ganguly for keeping his cool, and making the perfect bowling changes.

Next match in IPL 2010: Mumbai vs Rajasthan | Venue: D.Y. Patil Stadium, Mumbai | Watch the Live Telecast of the Match on Set Max from 3:00 pm IST on 13th March on Set Max. Click Here for >> Complete Set Max Live Telecast Schedule of IPL 2010

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