Saurav Ganguly the Living Legend of Indian cricket (Bengal Tiger)

'Sourav stands for stupendous grit'
My Son, Sourav Ganguly



Chandidas Ganguly is the proud owner of one of Asia's best printing business houses, but most Indians know him as the father of cricketer Sourav 'Dada' Ganguly, who retired from the game today.
We caught up with the senior Ganguly at his Behala home in Kolkata a few hours after his son missed a century by 15 runs. Sourav's father had yet to get over the fact that Dada had missed a ton. "But then, cricket is a one-ball game," he said.


"I am so proud of him. He has had such a wonderful career."

'Cricket runs in our blood'


Cricket is an intrinsic part of our lives," says Chandidas Ganguly with a smile. "We are five brothers and seven sisters. Together we could have formed a cricket team."

Interestingly, the entire Ganguly clan shares the same compound wall and it is cricket that has been the unified bond of connection in this age of nuclear families.

Fame brings along countless hazards and no one knows it better than Dada's family. "Sourav's homecoming is never easy and security guards and the police have a tough time preventing a stampede each time he returns home after a cricket tour," says his father.

"Even I find it difficult attending any event as people often come up with requests to fix interviews, meetings with Sourav. Things have come to such a head that these days I deny my identity."

"Just a few weeks ago, I was at a function and a young group approached me, 'Dada aapni ki Dadar Baba?' (Are you Sourav's father?) to which I said, "Are you mad?" and took to my heels.

"You know how Kolkatans are. They just need a pretext to be crazy," he laughs.

"While at home, Sourav is the homeliest of us all. He plans out grand lunches and dinners with family and friends, spends quality time with all of us, sees films and tries solving family issues if any."

"He is an intrinsically happy person who does not forget to wear a smile. We hardly hear him criticising anyone. To him, every person is good at heart -- an individual acts devilish only under certain circumstances."

Image: Chandidas Ganguly, Sourav Ganguly's father, who the Indian cricketer has described as the greatest influence on his life and career

'We thought Sourav would be a footballer'


Sourav never showed any interest towards cricket before he was in his teens. Football was his passion in school."

"But on turning 13, he started developing a penchant for cricket, all the more so as my elder son Snehasish had already made a name for himself in first class cricket."

"As the owner of a cricket coaching school and then assistant secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal, I thought of testing his talent and let him take part in a competitive match between Bengal and Orissa. Sourav was about 15 at that time. And he did not let me down. In fact, he scored 200. The rest is history."

Image: The palatial living room in Sourav Ganguly's home

'His friends call him biryani dada'


I am often asked apart from cricket what is Sourav's other obsession. I have no qualms in admitting -- he is a foodie of the highest order.

"A typical Bengali that he is, he swears by anything that is good to eat -- biryani topping his list."

"We know a chef Khalil, whose biryani is the first thing Sourav would have on completion of a tour. He is also extremely fond of prawns and fish. Sourav takes great interest in inviting friends over for lunch and dinner."

"Once he invited Sunil Gavaskar and his friends over for dinner. I still remember how Gavaskar polished off Tangra Maacher Jhaal and Parshe Maacher Jhol prepared by our cook Sabitri."

"Each time Gavaskar visits Kolkata Sourav and I gift him with Mishti Doi and Sandesh. Without them, Gavaskar's trip to the city would never be complete."

"Sachin (Tendulkar) has been here for lunch and dinner on many occasions. He too is a fishetarian."

Image: Sourav and his elder brother Snehashish Ganguly with the Ranji Trophy which Bengal won in 1989-90



Sourav's entire career had been a saga of struggle. At times, we did feel people were being unfair to him. But that, I guess, is how it is with some people."

"I can never forget the pain I saw in his eyes when he lost the captaincy almost without any hint and was even dropped from the Indian side at a 'special' someone's whim."

"Hats off to Sourav for not losing his spirit even then. My son is a man of steel. He is a born fighter. What a whammy comeback he made. I feel he should be revered as much for his entire career graph as for his stupendous return to the Indian squad."

"What is commendable about Sourav is that even during those days of despair, we never heard him mouthing any nasty word about (Greg) Chappell. "All he said was, 'Bapi, he is just being manipulated.'"

"I often ask myself, why people (read officials) hated Sourav so much? Is it the look or the demeanour?"

"After much thought, I came to the conclusion that they probably disliked him for speaking his mind. While selecting newcomers like Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan, Sourav never compromised."

"He would go to any extent to get them in his team. Like a true leader, he wanted to choose his team. That probably did not go down well with the selectors."

"Perhaps they wanted a captain who would dance to their tune."
Sourav knows how to keep himself busy and will usher in a new innings in his life. Neither Dona nor I know what he plans to do."

"He is a great thinker and won't divulge his plans until he is absolutely sure of it."

"One thing is for sure: He won't join politics as many media houses have predicted. Neither will he fight the election as a Left Front candidate against Mamata Banerjee."

"He is a champion, you see, and champions don't wear their hearts on their sleeves."

"He will put his experience and expertise to some fruitful use. I have no doubts about that."

"Whichever field he is in, Sourav will leave his mark."


'Fame rests easy on his shoulders'
I would give him as much points as a cricketer as a son and a husband. He is extremely caring and protective about his family."

"While with us, he would either watch a film or even catch a late night show at one of the multiplexes. Sourav is a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan."

"Fame rests easy on his shoulders and he still remains our loving son, Dona's affectionate husband and Sanaa's attentive father."

"Sanaa and I don't get along well," admits her grandfather with a grin. "Cricket doesn't interest her at all even when a match is on and his father is holding fort. She is just crazy about two television channels: Hungama TV and Pogo."

"We always have a fight over this and I am the one who calls it quits."
Image: A scene from an incredible win
Image: Scenes from a glittering career on the family home's walls

Sourav Ganguly
India
Player profile

Full name Sourav Chandidas Ganguly
Born July 8, 1972, Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bengal
Current age 36 years 125 days
Major teams India, Asia XI, Bengal, Glamorgan, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lancashire
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Height 5 ft 11 in
Education St Xavier's College
Relations Brother - Snehasish C Ganguly


Batting | Bowling | Career Statistics | Profile | Notes | Timeline | Best Performances | Cricinfo Picks | Latest Articles | Photos + | Latest Photos

Batting and fielding averages


Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 112 186 17 7127 239 42.17 13916 51.21 16 34 892 56 71 0
ODIs 311 300 23 11363 183 41.02 15416 73.70 22 72 1122 190 100 0
First-class 240 380 43 14779 239 43.85 31 83 165 0
List A 423 407 42 15161 183 41.53 31 93 130 0
Twenty20 31 30 2 726 91 25.92 657 110.50 0 4 80 24 11 0

Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 112 99 3117 1681 32 3/28 3/37 52.53 3.23 97.4 0 0 0
ODIs 311 171 4561 3849 100 5/16 5/16 38.49 5.06 45.6 1 2 0
First-class 240 10920 6013 164 6/46 36.66 3.30 66.5 4 0
List A 423 7949 6454 168 5/16 5/16 38.41 4.87 47.3 4 2 0
Twenty20 31 24 417 521 25 3/27 3/27 20.84 7.49 16.6 0 0 0


Career statistics
Test debut England v India at Lord's, Jun 20-24, 1996 scorecard
Last Test India v Australia at Delhi, Oct 29-Nov 2, 2008 scorecard
Test statistics - Statsguru Test analysis - Player analysis menu/filter Test match list --------------------------------- Batting career summary Batting innings list High scores Batting series averages --------------------------------- Bowling career summary Bowling innings list Bowling match list Best innings bowling Best match bowling Bowling series averages --------------------------------- Fielding career summary Fielding innings list Most catches in an innings Fielding series statistics
ODI debut India v West Indies at Brisbane, Jan 11, 1992 scorecard
Last ODI India v Pakistan at Gwalior, Nov 15, 2007 scorecard
ODI statistics - Statsguru ODI analysis - Player analysis menu/filter ODI match list --------------------------------- Batting career summary Batting innings list High scores Batting series averages --------------------------------- Bowling career summary Bowling innings list Best innings bowling Bowling series averages --------------------------------- Fielding career summary Fielding innings list Most catches in an innings Fielding series statistics
First-class debut 1989/90
Last First-class India v Australia at Delhi, Oct 29-Nov 2, 2008 scorecard
List A debut 1989/90
Last List A East Zone v West Zone at Hyderabad (Decc), Mar 17, 2008 scorecard
Twenty20 debut Glamorgan v Somerset at Cardiff, Jun 22, 2005 scorecard
Last Twenty20 Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab at Kolkata, May 25, 2008 scorecard


Saurav Ganguly Profile

Some felt he couldn't play the bouncer, others swore that he was God on the off-side; some laughed at his lack of athleticism, others took immense pride in his ability to galvanise a side. Sourav Ganguly's ability to polarise opinion led to one of the most fascinating dramas in Indian cricket. Yet, nobody can dispute that he was India's most successful Test captain - forging a winning unit from a bunch of talented, but directionless, individuals - and nobody can argue about him being one of the greatest one-day batsmen of all time. Despite being a batsman who combined grace with surgical precision in his strokeplay, his career had spluttered to a standstill before being resurrected by a scintillating hundred on debut at Lord's in 1996. Later that year, he was promoted to the top of the order in ODIs and, along with Sachin Tendulkar, formed one of the most destructive opening pairs in history.

When he took over the captaincy after the match-fixing exposes in 2000, he quickly proved to be a tough, intuitive and uncompromising leader. Under his stewardship India started winning Test matches away, and put together a splendid streak that took them all the way to the World Cup final in 2003. Later that year, in Australia, an unexpected and incandescent hundred at Brisbane set the tone for the series where India fought the world's best team to a standstill. Victory in Pakistan turned him into a cult figure but instead of being a springboard for greater things, it was the peak of a slippery slope.

The beginning of the end came in 2004 at Nagpur - when his last-minute withdrawal played a part in Australia clinching the series - and things went pear shaped when his loss of personal form coincided with India's insipid ODI performances. Breaking point was reached when his differences with Greg Chappell leaked into public domain and his career was in jeopardy when India began their remarkable revival under Rahul Dravid.

His gritty 30s at Karachi, when India succumbed to a humiliating defeat in early 2006, weren't enough for him to retain his spot and some felt he would never get another chance. Others, as always, thought otherwise and they were proved right when he was included in the Test squad for the away series in South Africa in 2006-2007. He ended as the highest Indian run-scorer in that series and capped his fairytale comeback with four half-centuries on his return to ODIs. He continued his fine run in England, where he finished as the second highest scorer in Tests, and went on to slam back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan at home, the second of which was a glorious 239 in Bangalore. Ganguly was surprisingly omitted from India's ODI squad for the CB Series in Australia and has been out of contention in the one-day squad since. After a poor Test series in Sri Lanka, there were reports of him considering retirement but he was given a lifeline in the Tests against Australia at home. Two days before the first Test, he said the series would be his last.