an ode to dada...from a not so satisfied fan...

shared by straight point on Wednesday, October 08, 2008



only the other day i commented at BCC! that dada's name should be saurav gone-googly

everytime you think he is gone...comes the googly...

but not this time...

if i close my eyes and try to visualize dada...the first image which comes to my mind is of his uninhibited celebrations after winning natwest trophy at lords...

everything that needs to be said about him has been said and covered very well by friend soulberry...

all i want to say is...go dada go...write your own farewell script...the way, only you can...

i don't want to see you going without giving it a fight...
i wanna see you going with your chin up...and smiling...



handing over the legacy to true successor?


the only grudge is that who will compassionate kolkotta fans follow now...?

even the larger than life stature of ganguly in kolkotta was not enough to inspire youngsters from there to aspire the coveted cap of india...and his absence will create huge void in west bengal cricket...there is simply no legacy...

first time a 'dada' will leave without leaving behind family tree of sons and grandchildren...

on another hand a question...which is refusing to go down...is...

are you ok with a player announcing his retirement before the start of an important series?

31 comments:

Viswanathan said...

"who will compassionate kolkotta fans follow now...?"

Good question, Pan. Maybe he should start a political party.:)

straight point said...

signs are already there OTT :)

i want your views on..players announcing retirement at the start of series...

Gaurav Sethi said...

SP - Not okay with the timing. But after the Aussies, it's a new tradition of sorts.

The MSD-Dada picture is eerily apt.

Ott - you never know.

Viswanathan said...

"i want your views on..players announcing retirement at the start of series..."

Dada has stolen Tendulkar's thunder. For once Dada may get a much better reception than Tendulkar when he steps out to bat.

I think it is wrong. Could turn out to be distracting for the player and the team.

Or he should have done a Gavaskar and indicated some time earlier.

Viswanathan said...

NC,

I agree that picture is eerily apt.

straight point said...

needless to say i am not ok with it...its kinda unnecessary and long distraction...mch like gilly's in CB series...

and not everything that oz do is good tradition...

i put dada-msd snap coz they both are similar in terms of believing and encouraging youth and creating their own teams...

which is why i think msd is an apt successor of ganguly legacy...

straight point said...

means you still believe that sachin will take retirement OTT? ;-)

yes its seems so...and i think he has prolonged sachin's retirement (if there) to next oz series...

*shudder*

straight point said...

OTT and NC

please care to elaborate more on eerily apt...?

John said...

SP,
In my opinion, it is quite brillaint that he has announced his retirement now. Aussies might get distracted (yet again) into targeting Ganguly, making certain he does not get a fitting farewell. Which is absolutely good for us.
Again, on the point of distraction - is it not more distracting to have media, pundits and bloggers questioning your long-term value?

straight point said...

will they leave him now john?

every failure of his will be seen as that since he has announced his retirement he is not putting heart and soul to job...and how embarrassing it is for indian team to carry a retired elephant?

don't you see this happening?

Soulberry said...

That's one way to see it SP. Certainly, one can ask who will enthuse Kolkatta fans now? Maybe Rohit Sharma...maybe Yuvraj or then maybe either Kohli or Raina. I'm sure one Indian can be found among so many to get enthused about! :) (we must be 1.5 billion by now)

Like Victoria said, There was never an “in-between” about him.

One either liked him or did not - that's how it is with the best leaders in history. One understands that.

Inzamam called him a zabardast player and captain and he felt for the first time they saw steel from India. We all recall Toronto and Dhaka only too clearly even now. It was in these places that the long-standing scabs of Sharjah were removed once and for all and Sourav Ganguly had a distinct role to play in both. Dhaka was the first time India chased over 300 and won - for those days, a surprising thing. These are not mere one or two matches or anecdotal examples - if you see the effect of Sourav running through like a rich vein gold in a mine, then each of these episodes/instances/matches are those thrusts of a miner's shovel which reveal that mother lode to the seeker, to the world.

How many players in cricket have organized a Kal Aaj aur Kal kind of legacy? Not many Baap-daada-pota affairs other than a few in the western part of India in the royal era...Amarnaths, mankads don't qualify for they are just restricted to father-son level I guess Cheers! :)

Unknown said...

sp, many a kolkata fan will heave a sigh of relief to see a former hero finally seeing the light (or being forced to see it). now you should worry about the karnataka fan ;)

straight point said...

no one can dispute his leadership part SB!! its only during his tenure that we shrug off the soft-traveler tag for once and all...

but i sincerely feel that he failed in leaving a legacy...in the team and out of it...which most 'best leaders' do...

straight point said...

hahaha got the drift sumit... :)

but i am still to see and effigy burn on street...faces with black paint...of a karnataka fan...

Gaurav Sethi said...

well said sb, good counter sp.
like that one sumit!

who would have thought there's a test starting morrow

Anonymous said...

I think its the right decision, it would take a lot of pressure of him and the team and their will be no more distraction created by the media,as far as the fans of Kolkata they have plenty of Pakistani players in KKR they can cheer for them.:)

Soulberry said...

Morning SP. Game's on. Even at the moment - hayden gone but both kaitch and Ponting settles.

straight point said...

thanks gaurav! yes who would have thought...of this side show :)

straight point said...

good one wasim bhai :)

straight point said...

yes SB...game's on...

i am particularly impressed by ponting's determination to do well...in spite of early jitters he has settled into for what seems a long innings...

i think kumble missed the trick by not having short leg for him initially...

Poshin_david said...

I'm A-ok with the timing as Ganguly is the only person whom knows when to call it a day and has decided to call it when he thought it was rite.

For more on my thoughts visit me at,
http://christopherdavid007.blogspot.com/

Q said...

SB I reckon u r about 2 billion!

SP - Ganguly is leaving a legacy! He definitely is. He transformed India. The success the team is going through right now is the fruit, the seeds of which were laid by Ganguly. He will always be remembered as India's best captain ever. Dhoni is only contunuing the good work started by Ganguly. Dravid was a stop gap arrangement as is Kumble.

I love that Dhoni-Ganguly pic.

http://www.wellpitched.com/2008/10/my-tribute-to-saurav-ganguly.html

Q said...

As for the timing of the retirement. I am a firm believer that every player deserves a farewell test. No a farewell series but a farewell test, like Inzi got.

It would have been better had he announced it before the last test of the series but then the media would have speculated even further and news would have leaked from the players or the board...

straight point said...

a warm welcome CPD!! hope you will keep dropping here... :)

i was not taking about in the context of what's right for SG...i mentioned it in the context of its effect on team india...

cheers!!

BTW, have blog rolled you :)

straight point said...

hmmm...that's another way of looking at things...Q

i fully agree with you for giving a farewell test not series...and that too last match of series...

but as things stands now...who would have guaranteed that he would last that long... :)

Trideep said...

SP,

Ganguli's announcement at this time adds fuel to the fire that BCCI had made a deal with the seniors. But I guess announcing your retirement at the beginning of the series. might also fire up your colleagues to give u a fitting farewell.. So this might be a good thing.

about his legacy.. well he has introduced players like Bhajji, Sehwag, Yuvi to Indian cricket who will carry forward his legacy. About cricket in Bengal.. well its more of non-cricketing issues that have not allowed players from Bengal to play at the highest level.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Q.

straight point said...

yup tri...do we have any option but to think that way... :)

straight point said...

me too wasim...partially :)

Anonymous said...

Sp... he is very sore about it... perhaps, he is making a point just to inform these bosses to handle the rest a bit better.

straight point said...

does he really care about them? :)

about me...

BCC!straight point (sp) is restless... relentless... but a fun loving guy... likes to live life to fullest... trying to discover himself through cricket... welcome to this little world of his...

sp is also a bored member at BCC!

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