As informed to the then selection panel, now Ganguly kept his words by announcing retirement. Despite the "hate Ganguly" campaign online, despite the backstabbing by some of his own admirers(!) and despite all irrelevant stories about Ganguly in the media, he braved everything and standing tall today. As a sportsman myself I admire his fighting qualities. In my opinion, he is the best and the greatest of the Fab Four.
Even if ganguly plays good cricket , he wont be selected.Lets see the hyped dhoni score in coming test series.If shewag dont play well , he will be given enough chance, same goes with yuvaraj...
Re: Shame on BCCI
by aam desi on Oct 07, 2008 07:16 PM Permalink
Please - don't compare Ganguly with others. Also, please remember one cannot go on forever because you fans want you to do so. Think about Ganguly's mental turmoil. Also, if others had not retired - Ganguli would not have gotten a chance, because all greats have fans. If this logic was applied Gavaskar, Shastri, Vengsarkar will still be in the team.
It is good time for Fab 4 to finally decide...if they now really have “that” in them. As Dhoni said, they all are under pressure of their own expectations...I am agreed. Sachin does still want to play; though Rahul have just not commented anything...he may comment with the bat. I think Rahul, is still having a lot to play tests, than Sachin. Sachin has become injury prone and that is spoiling his performance in the recent past. I do not think Ganguly and Laxman should still believe that they still have “it” after this series. After all, it is no point staying there and everytime struggling to prove with oneself. These fabulous batsmen have left nothing to prove in their career; they are legends. It is better left to them and the selectors to think realistically and make way for new comers.
Re: Fab 4 have left nothing to prove in their career...
by Karunakar Patil on Oct 07, 2008 06:52 PM Permalink
Sachin on current form is better than Dravid though he is catching injuries. He has won us oneday tri-series in Aus and score two tons (150 ) in tests. After world cup debacle his is dream run with bat. So idonot think any probl;em for him for next 2-3 yeras in both form of crcicke. only thing he should not play against small teams as he will not able to concentrate, Dravid & laxman can play test cricket for two more years . And as soon as somebody is ready to take over , They (Sachin , Dravid and laxman) should retire one by one. Now we can see Sehwag, Gambhir & Jaffer at opening slot. Yuvraj,Rohit sharma, Raina, Badrinath, Virat in Middle order ( Few in ODI , Others in tests).And lot of Youngsters are there.
It is always individual performance that matters in all games and sport. Which means this mindless fab 4 nonsense has to be seen for what it is. It is just a smokescreen to bring the rest of the guys on the same level as Ganu Teli Ganguly who should have been dropped long time back. The rest of the players have a lot of cricket left in them. Sachin has proved these media pundits wrong countless number of times. But these idiots go on and on. Perhaps it is time to retire the pundits or at least make them eat their own words literaly. 1 kg of their own stuff everytime Sachin hits these guys for a six should make them more careful with their words.
Ganguly's decision is very good step for the Indian Cricket as others may follow suit soon. Now tendulkar, Dravid are forced to retire etically. We have lots of youngsters who are equally capable and wanting opportunities to break all the previous records.
Re: Good Step Forward - Great Mr. Ganguly
by Yes We on Oct 07, 2008 06:48 PM Permalink
Thank you Saurav; you have done the right thing at the right time. India is proud of your achievements as a player and a great captain.
You were always a big-match player and scored when India wanted it. The same hold goods for Dravid too.
However how all of us wish that your Mumbai colleague too emulated you. Sachin is a good player and a statistical legend. But he never delivered when India wanted it (except on two occasions and both against the Aussies - Sharjah '98 and Australia 2008). Sachin scored 95 in six Test innings in Sri Lanka. Earlier he skipped a tour of Sri Lanka fearing facing Murali on his home turf. Sachin always used to skip the 'selection' matches (like Irani Trophy) etc citing injury. He was dreadful in our domestic T20 tournament and also when he turned up in the India Red, Green Blue tournament.
He once also skipped 5 or 6 ODIs against Carl Hooper's team for a failure would not have permitted to go to New Zealand. There again he gave a skip to the first four ODIs; scored less than 2 in the next three ODIs. The interesting thing here is that the team for the World Cup got selected after the first four ODIs and Sachin had not played in them!!
Re: Good Step Forward - Great Mr. Ganguly
by chetan kulkarni on Oct 08, 2008 10:31 AM Permalink
Hi Buddy,
Let me explain few of the above scenarios that you have put to prove Sachin is afraid of injuries or so-called ur many reasons.
"skipped 5 or 6 ODIs against Carl Hooper's team for a failure" ==> Sachin was injured in the last test match before this ODI series & in that test match Sachin scored match-saving 176 in the second innings.
"The interesting thing here is that the team for the World Cup got selected after the first four ODIs and Sachin had not played in them" ==> There was considerable time-frame in-between this NewZeland Tour & World Cup matches, precisely 1 month. This was World Cup 2003 selection & you know who did well in this world cup. Sachin. He scored 673 runs in total.
I believe that these fab five have given Indian cricket some moments which no one ever could.The Indian media is hell bent on getting eye ball time and they are for sure getting it but i'm really surprised when people holding the pen and not having cricekting experience tend to describe the performance of Dravids,Gangulys,Sachin,Laxmans and Kumbles.Isn't it unfair??If you have the guts face them in their field.Anyway i firmly believe that the innings played by the fab five have been remarkable and apart from the world cup failure, they have dominated the cricketing scene for the last one and a half decade.They are warriors and they will always stand tall.I respect Ganguly's decision to quit but i still firmly believe that you cannot get better test players than Dravid,Kumble,Ganguly and LAxman (Sachin i never compare because we can't compare GOD).These people have given us-10 wicket in an innings,2 back to back centuries humiliating Australia in Sharjah (28238 runs with 81 centuries),the always dependable feeling like a wall,Natwest series win and that bare chest show at Lords and the amazing 281 at Eden Gardens against the Steve Waugh's invincible side.Have we forgotten all of those lovely moments when we felt proud that we are Indians because of their performances.Come on people let's just cheer all these guys and make their exit happy for them and the nation.Let' be fair that we are blessed to have been able to watch TENDULKAR play in our era.
Re: Bid the masters a good farewell
by Preeti Vikram on Oct 07, 2008 06:48 PM Permalink
Guest,
You are bang on! What you say is 100% true and I support your views. These Fab Four Or Five have more than 5 decades of cricketing experience and have given their best to India. They had their downfalls and low moments.But who does not have. Every sports person will have their ups and downs. A time has to come for everybody to retire. you retire from sports, you retire from your job, you retire from your life's responsibilities. That's the way life and is and time will come for everybody. You me and everybody. Like you said the Media has hyped the whole Fab 4/5 retirement issue instead of letting this fabulous criceters doing their job ans setting their own agendsa. How can one forget Ganguly' fantastic 187 NO against Sri Lanka in England WC. How can your forget laxman's 281 and Dravid's knock in that test. How can one forget Sachin blasting of Shane Warne in Mumbai and Sharjah, How can one forget Kumble's perfect 10. We are luck we are in this era to have witnessed their superb performances.
I dont if any of the present bunch of so called young criceters can match up to the fab 5. I dont see any of them having the capacity to play cricket like the fab 4/5.
India may produce such heroes again but never at the same time. It will be a long time till we see a bunch of crickters at the same time performing at their best.
god bless these FAB 4/5 and I would like to thank them all for entertaining us for more than a decade.The nation should be proud of them.
It is Indian cricket, not his own property to play with retiring face. At what coast he is ruining the indian cricket? He has no right to play a single match for india. if he wants let him play for some local team
Re: Fab FOUR
by Kabeer on Oct 07, 2008 06:42 PM Permalink
Kumble is not part of fab four!
The fourth one is VVS Laxman!
When it was the fab three, Dilip Sardesai has said before that momentour Aussie tour where VVS scored that legendary 281, that VVS is as good as the fab three; a comment that went unnoticed by many a reader but not by any cricket enthusiast.
And Dileep Sardesai proved perfectly correct with VVS scoring the best innings by any Indian so far!
Fab Four simply do not have any alternative. As clearly pointed out by you, this over-publized agenda, prompted by the Board and carried forward by the media, leaves no choice. At the fag end of their career, they just can't dictate terms.
Best wishes for Ganguly in his last Test series against Australia. May he give his life's best performance in these four tests.
