Its appalling to see so many people who are just cynical about everything. Mr Pai you are yet another Ganguly basher probably trying to gain some publicity... But what you are forgetting is that this team was written off even before they landed in Australia and most people suggested a complete whitewash. Not only did Ganguly prove them wrong but also acheived a feat which nobody in the current cricketing world can dream of... Its high time that we back our team for putting up a fight and bringing glory for the nation. Ganguly is also a human being and he trusted his best bowlers for doing the job. Criticising is easy but first understand the fact that We were up against the World champs and not againt some mediocre team like Bangaladesh...!!!!
God knows who Mr RAjeev D Pie is and what he has got to do with cricket and why rediff wants to get a bad name by printing such articles! If he knows so much then why is he not in the team? And why isnt he the captain? Why do we have so many wise men like him outside the field?
This message is not to critisize the author but to those apologists who support him. Some fool even had the terimity to say that ganguly should retire. Other says ganguly is jealous of tendulkar. What the hell.. if ganguly was having some ill-will, he would have dropped tendulkar for the last match after his pathetic run.
Its the bane in india that we have so many worthless lazybags who have do nothing worthwhile in their whole life but when given the slightest oppurtunity, take pleasure in running down all those hard-working achievers who give us reasons to be proud. Its really pathetic of these people to also feel jealous of all the deserving acclolades and money they get to earn for their hard work.
This is a load of crap to say Ganguly was defensive. If he was defensive we wouldn't have taken 6 wickets in one day and mind you that was after the 3 legitamate LBW's trurned down. Again what can a captain do if he doesn't have more than one wicket taking bowler and a terrible empire who is willing to give any LBW's. Tell me how the bowler will bowl at that time. Besides if he didn't defend at crucial times we would have even lost the test all thanks to steve bucknore. Hope this will lighten up your imagination a bit too!!!
Hi Rajiv, If captaincy is so easy why you do not take the charge of playing or nonplaying captain. I understand you have written the article in a very cool brain just for the sake of criticising the best captain of the country ( may be in the world after Steve has retired). Be honest to get the positive part of the trip. By writting these type of article you just fool yourself and a billion people of India. ---Dinesh
Rajeev Pai has been very unfair when he says 'Sourav had little imagination and thats why we lost an opportunity'. When we started this tour, every one was saying India would be whitewashed. He is very regionalistic. We know very well what 'great bowler Srinath achieved'. It is true that he was a great bowler but without a brain. He could not even get tail-enders. I have hardly seen him bowling yorkers and bouncers which are the weapons of fast bowlers. Kumble is a great bowler, but in my opinion, he is a medium pacer and not a spinner (who can never turn the ball) and that is why he succeeded. We have to admit that 'No one is perfect and every one is bound to make mistakes'. This does not take away the success Ganguly brought in this series. In fact if he had not scored in the first test, India would have lost the match and after that, we would have lost all the other matches and would have been white washed. Rajeev just sits in his chair comfortably and comments without any sense whereas Sourav and his team toiled so hard to bring so much of positive things to Indian Cricket with such a weak Indian bowling attack.
Apparently passionate article, but hey, while I almost reluctantly agree with the reference to Bucknor, David Shepherd and S Venkatraghavan have won the sort of respect that our author hasn't. To err is human, and cricket needs it's umpires. The superannuation theory is a crock of all things bovinely masculine, since good umpiring is not necessarily age-driven.
And mate, mind that you do not fall victim to the ifs-and-buts theory, as evidenced in your remarks on VVS Laxman's knock and the home series two years back .. Let's give it to the boys - they played the best team and won the hard way. After all .. "If" India had won the match you wouldnt be out here crooning this little piece of the blues .. "But" then .. you know better about that.
If Kumble can't single handedly win the test match, if Agarkar only shows glimses of his potential, if Kartik was low on confidence and variety.. if and all ifs, but the author thinks part-timers like Tendulkar and Sehwag would have written history in a pitch which really didn't deteriorate much. Please stop these rather uncalled for criticisms and enjoy what has been achieved.
