Hello Sandeepan ,
the only way to respect such 'intense' writing --- to put it in the
first page of site..www.welovesourav.com ....below 'news' !
outstanding ! keep it up ...
warm regards.
saptarshi


On 2/1/06, sandeepandg <sandeepandg@...> wrote:
> The Karachi test has just ended- Pakistan having landed the knockout
> punch. There will be discussions, and there will be discussions- and
> then some more. "Experts" who used to have the killer instinct of
> vegetables while they were cricketers will pour in with
> their "Raambaand Ilaaj" formulae. An example:
> Ravi Shastri: (On cricinfo mobile) To, start with, they(India)don't
> have a specialist opening pair.
>
> Question: Isn't it a bit strage to "start with" that ? The bowlers
> struggled to get a wicket every hundred runs. Asif is a rookie and
> Razzaq is by no means, express (so much for Greg "78 lakh underarm"
> Chappel's "extra pace" theory). They managed to rip the Indian
> batsmen apart- Sehwag had his middle stump shot out, Sachin was
> literally "floored" and Laxman had his furniture rearranged. Was the
> track all that dead ?
>
> That's enough on Shastri- he makes me sick.
>
> Rahul Dravid : We will now concentrate on playing the best batsmen
> in the best positions.
> That's too clear a message to be ignored.
> The Indian batting summary on this series:
> 1) Sehwag: Started with a bang on a featherbed- went from ordinary
> to worse when it mattered.
> 2) Dravid: Back to back hundreds on wickets that were more like
> tennis courts minus the grass. When it mattered, he didn't bother
> scorers too much.
> 3) Laxman: Fighting 90 on a very flat wicket. When it mattered-
> well.....
> 4) Tendulkar: So what if he didn't score much- he is god, isn't he-
> yeah never mind the humiliating posture- with the off stump missing.
> 5) Yuvraj: Scored a fine ton when it mattered- runs amidst ruins-
> you hoped you saw more of that from others.
> 6) Sourav: Sorry, you are not invited for the run feast- the captain
> will "sacrifice" his spot for you.
> Finally came in and took guard when India with the team in a mess.
> Battled out manfully in the middle- stemmed the rot. Lost
> concentration both times and payed the ultimate price.
>
> THE ULTIMATE PRICE !
> Perhaps nobody understands this better than the man himself. He is
> no ordinary crickter- he is Sourav Ganguly. He was the second
> highest scorer in the side for the game, that is not exactly person
> you think of snipping out of the next game- right ? Wrong.
>
> Shastri and Dravid have had similar "first thoughts" on a Test where
> not too many things went right for India. The "studious first boy"
> grabbed the opportunity and reaped runs on featherbeds. Add to that
> the bonus of being called "sacrificial", and "big hearted". Last but
> not the least, there was a free gift of somebody getting some more
> negative publicity (as if there already was not enough of it)- the
> favourite whipping boy of the side he leads.
> Then Pakistan made a greentop- and well, Dravid's "big heart" has
> ran out of space- it is amply clear now that India will go in with
> Gambhir or Jaffer to open the innings. Who will make way for them is
> anybody's guess.
>
> But what about "current performance" ? Nobody denied that Sourav was
> more comfortable than almost anybody else (except Yuvraj) in the
> team on a lively strip against Shoaib's pace. All the trash talking
> about his fielding and fitness had to be temporarily put on hold.
> How do you drop a guy, so clearly in good touch ?
> Well, that's easy- this is how it is going to be:
> 1) Dravid: Averaged about 80.
> 2) Sehwag: Averaged about 75.
> 3) Laxman: Averaged 40 plus.
> 4) Sachin: Well, didn't we say he is God ?
> 5) Sourav: Averaged 35.5.
>
> Add to the a dash of "right combination- as per situation" and a
> generous sprinkling of "looking to the future" with "a vision of
> success". All's well.
>
> When he miscued a pull shot and got out, he threw his gloves in
> disgust. What do you expect ? We see him getting humiliated day in
> and day out- he lives through it. The moment he hit that shot- he
> knew what it would lead to. This was as big an opportunity lost as
> he would ever get. Twice. Momentary lapses can mean so much.
>
> What after this ? Well, India will be playing at home once again.
> Featherbeds and dustbowls. Spinners. Maybe England will be reduced
> to "Ashes". Some more "new look, mentally strong, bubbling with team-
> spirit"- like adjectives for the team. And how on earth can a
> winning combination be changed ?
> And then- ah yes, another overseas series. The way they are going
> now- they are pretty likely to find out that Eden Gardens did not
> exactly have the greenest wicket in the world. Or that Charl
> Langeveldt isn't really MacGrath.
> And then -another home series- maybe two- more turners- with luck,
> Dravid might even lead India to 20 test victories. Everybody's
> happy. And one man would wait in the corner- playing Tripura or
> Kerala, desperately waiting for a batsman (maybe two) in the Indian
> team to get injured.
>
> But that's enough. I apologise for writing this irritatingly long
> piece of garbage. It's hard for you to read (whether you love Sourav
> or hate him), it's harder for me to write the tale of humiliation of
> my hero- hell, merely following it from a distance makes me weary.
>
> Why am I so obsessed with Sourav ?
> The "patriotic cricket fan" on the cricket discussion forums:
> Because you are a parochial bastard Bong.
> Yes, I am.
> And because.......
> We never believed we could win Tests in Australia, Pakistan,
> England, Windies. We could never believe that Balaji could find the
> edge of Inzamam's bat at will (inspite of not being exactly
> express). We could not possibly believe that an opener with
> no "technique" could put Brett Lee to the sword on Boxing day in
> Melbourne. Who could ever have believed that the "indisciplined,
> arrogant" boy from Jalandhar would single handedly stall the
> Australian jaggernaut ?
> My dear "patriotic" friends, I would keep hoping for Sourav to
> strike back, as he toils it out in the domestic matches in front of
> empty stands.
> Because that is what his life and career has taught us.
> To believe in miracles.
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