I don't think the decesion as such was a folly. Thinking about the time the bowlers had bowled, I guess they must have been tired. This must have prompted Ganguly to come out to bat for the day. Moreover, the plan was not bad. by setting a target of 443 in 105 overs(or was it 100), he actually wanted the australians to come out guns blazing, in which process maybe they would have lost quick wickets, which they did. But we can admit it was Katich's day. He played well to keep the series at 1-1. But considering a draw after the 3-0 loss last time, I guess we fought quite well. Moreover this time the critics cannot complain about Glenn Mcgrath and Warne not playing, we too had an injury-prone side. Moreover, young players like Akash Chopra, Sehwag and Parthiv Patel displayed great maturity while batting. I will say, a little more effort can see this team on the top of the world. And kudos to Ganguly for building up such a cohesive unit.
Ganguly should have given followon to Australian team as they were under tremendous pressure to save this match for two reason 1)Waugh was playing his last match of his career and as captain he would not end his career on losing note and 2)For Australia to stick to wicket for almost one and half day would have been next to impossible.I think Ganguly made folly by not giving followon to Australia.
i was shocked to read an article in one of india's premier websites like rediff.com with such cheap use of language. I was infuriated by the last sentence of rajneesh's article in which he calls ganguly's decision "stupid". Mr. Rajneesh, it is very easy to sit at home and comment on the decisions of others but when it comes to ourselves, we fumble to make even the silliest of life's decisions rightly. ppl like ganguly are at the top of the sport coz they r the best in the world and they have truly earned their places.he is a true leader and we should learn to appreciate it. we always crib about india having filled of rich resources but no proper use of it.it is absolutely wrong,there are as many achievements in india everyday as in USA or any other country in the world, the only difference is that in those countries, the achievements are highlighted but in india, whatever may be the achievement, people try to put them down. how can u expect people to achieve and shine in the world arena with so much of negetive attitude and support from his/her own countrymen?? i salute all the indians around the world who have become world achievers,overcoming all these hurdles.
With the retirement of the peerless Steve Waugh our Saurav Ganguly is emerging as the shrewdest strategist in international cricket. Saurav needs to be congratulated for the manner in which he has led Team India in the present series. Given the good nature of the Sydney pitch, the class and commitment of the Aussie frontline batsmen who were ready to chase anything for their beloved leader in his farewell test, a lead of over four hundred runs on the board was the only solution. Asking the Aussies to follow on could have been suicidal because the Sydney pitch was not really assisting every bowler. Except for the experienced and world renowned Anil Kumble, bowlers on either side had a torrid time. Team India led by Saurav Ganguly has so far fared exceedingly well and won the respect of all. Team Australia, their very patriotic media, the lovers of the game in Australia and many of us do feel that in the given circumstances Saurav Ganguly did well in taking those bold decisions without any hesitation. Let us thank and salute the entire squad and wish them well for the rest of their stay Down Under !
I cant believe many readers saying that: it is a good decision. Its a good statistic that only once lost and 6 times drawn after not enforcing follow-on. But I like to know that how many times a team has lost/won after enforcing follow-on, and specifically with almost 1.75 days left? I know bowlers are tired, specifically Kumble (who is the key) but still it is 'stupidity'. Ofcourse, you may not have 211 runs, but more (or less) runs with less (or more) overs. But you will have 10 wickets on hand to make it a draw or win!
I think if Indian bowlers could not bowl out aussies in 4 th inn. they would have done more badly aussies were asked to follow on. India was playing with onky 3.4 of a bowler in tired Kumble. There was no other quality bolwer. Missed chance againat Ponting and some decisions turned down might have contributed to aussie success. Ganguly is not to be blamed. He could have declared earlier if SRT & Dravid had scored quck runs. Finaly we lacked the spirit/team combination of World champions. One bowler can rarely take 20 wkts. You need more than that. Mr Lele will not eat his words with Salt and paper. Along with us all who felt India will do very badly. We did decently. But when national pride is at stake, Low aim not failure is a crime.
If india have more chance to win when indian fast bowler's are bowled good . Zaheer and nehra are injured.so, kumble has t o take all the responsibilities to took wickets.so,anyway india has to give good fight against world champion.
