Is it the end of the road for Ganguly? by Partab Ramchand

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Player:

SC Ganguly

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DateLine: 8th September 2006

 

When should one call it a day? That is the million-dollar question for any leading sportsman. Some retire with grace, others drag their feet until they are virtually dragged out. Some are reluctant to leave, reluctant to accept the fact that their days are over, others willingly accept the inevitable and leave the stage with the applause still ringing in their ears.

 

It is exactly a year since Sourav Ganguly last played in an ODI. He last played in a Test match against Pakistan at Karachi in February this year. Since then he has not been part of the team’s plans in either version of the game. He was named in the list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy leading some to believe – erroneously – that he was on the comeback trail. They were then disappointed when he was not named in the final squad. The plain and simple message conveyed by the selectors to him was ``You are among the top 30 players but not among the top 15’’.

 

So almost 15 years after he first represented the country in an ODI against the West Indies in the tri series in Australia and more than ten years since he became a regular member of the team in both versions of the game is it the end of the road for India’s most successful captain as well as the finest ever left handed batsman in Indian cricket? Going by the factors stacked against him it does look that way. Even his supporters – principally in Kolkata but spread thinly all over the country – seem to have finally come to terms with the reality that Ganguly might have played his last match for the country earlier this year. The protests have died down and there is hardly show of solidarity now behind the 34-year-old batsman who was second to none when it came to blending power with elegance in his prime. A few months ago there were processions, rallies and slogans raised in his favour whenever he was not selected; now there are not even ripples of protest.

 

Ganguly himself however has still not accepted the reality of the situation. He clearly believes that he is good enough to play for the country going by recent statements. In a TV interview a few days ago he expressed his disappointment with his continued exclusion from the team. ``It hurts to be out of the team. I still feel I am good enough. But I have played just two games in the last 12 months for India. Obviously when I am not a part of the team, somebody does not want you to be in the team and that could be anybody. The captain, coach, selectors - everyone is involved and its is very difficult to pinpoint any particular person.’’

 

So is politics behind his continued exclusion? Ganguly is of the view that politics had nothing to do with his removal first as captain and then as player. "Dalmiya, Pawar, is there any point in discussing what people are saying? Cricket is big in this country and people form their own opinion by saying a host of things."

 

Okay, so if it is not politics then perhaps it is his performance on the field. Let’s examine just two statistics. In six Test innings since his 101 against Zimbabwe a year ago Ganguly has scored 171 runs at an average of 28.50. Interestingly enough five innings preceding that hundred got him just 48 runs at 9.60 an outing. In ODI’s in his last 13 innings he has scored 209 runs at an average of a little over 17. His contributions with the ball during the same period have been negligible while it is well known that Ganguly is not the most mobile of fielders and that is putting it mildly.

 

On this evidence is it then time for Ganguly to make a dignified exit from international cricket? Wasim Akram is certainly of this view. ``Sourav has been an outstanding leader for India, but I think it is now time he should hang up his boots. This is a problem in our part of the world. Top sportsmen don't realize when is the right time to say goodbye to the game. I don't think he now stands a chance of getting selected again in the national team. There are some good young players coming up in the Indian team now."

 

That is one more factor against Ganguly making a comeback. He is not getting any younger even as a number of young cricketers are making their mark. Moreover whether in Tests or ODI’s the Indian team is wearing a well-settled look. It is not just difficult for Ganguly to come back; there is hardly any elbowroom for almost anyone else, young or old.

 

It is about time Ganguly realized that his playing days at the international level – not just his best playing days - are over and called it a day. Yes, we all aware that he is one of only four batsmen to cross the 10,000-run mark in ODIs. Yes, we all know that with 22 hundreds he is second only to Sachin Tendulkar. Yes we appreciate the fact that he is the country’s most successful captain in Test cricket. All we can say is ``thank you for the music. Your role in the show is over. Please take a final curtain call and leave the stage.’’

 

This is the time for a graceful exit. As Vijay Merchant put it ``retire when people ask why and not when.’’ In Ganguly’s case cricket fans have already started asking ``when.’’ He should not wait till the cry becomes more vociferous.

 

 

(Article: Copyright © 2006 CricketArchive)