The second Inning; Sourav Ganguly from player to the President of BCCI

The Royal Bengal Tiger is going to roar once again, but this time not on the cricket field but off the field. Guess if you can, yes, I am talking about none other than Mr. Sourav Chandidas Ganguly. The southpaw once hailed as the God of Off-side stroke-making by his teammate and the legend of the game “The Wall” Rahul Dravid is all set to begin his second inning in the cricket arena but this time not as a cricketer but as the President of richest cricket body of the world that is BCCI.

The player who has the guts and gumption to call spade as a spade but his arrival into cricket field was not the easiest and eventful like other greats of the game but he has determined to come stronger and finally made his mark in international cricket with a scintillating and entertaining hundred on his debut test match in the dream Lords cricket ground in England. After scoring back to back centuries he has not turned back rather made a huge statement with his effortless timing and elegance personified.

The world has yet to witness the best of his batting till he started to open the inning with the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. While batting with the God of the cricket he has not subdued his talent and form rather shown the world his hitting prowess and temperament. The speed stars like Wasim Akram, McGrath, Makhya Nitini were terrorized and torn apart by his stroke-making and timing. With the passage of time, he has earned a name for him in international cricket. Not only the pacers but spinners have to face his wrath and agony while clearing the big boundaries. Who can forget his master class 183 at Bristol against the then-defending champion Sri Lanka in 1999 world cup cricket in England with a formidable spin attack led by Mutthai Muralitharan? During his batting at the crease, the opposition scared to opt left-arm spin because he was so severe and merciless while clearing them out of the park disdainfully.

But the Sourav Dada Ganguly, we remember and commemorate is the skipper of India. He was offered the captainship while Indian cricket was going through the most horrific time of its entire cricketing history that is a match-fixing scandal. With stalwarts like Azhar and Ajay has shown the door and Tendulkar reluctance to continue as Indian captain, the world has experienced a new and fresh captain. From there onwards, the whole cricket fraternity witnessed the Dadagiri of Indian cricket by manufacturing a new team India from nowhere with the backlash of match-fixing horror surmounting Indian cricket. He has nurtured and equally propped up players like Shewag, Laxman, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Kaif and the turbanator Harbhajan Singh. He developed a killing instinct and never give up attitude in Indian cricket which India was missing for a long time. He has shown Dadagiri on many occasions on the cricket field but most remarkable memory which hunts my mind is the swirling of the T-shirt at Lord’s balcony after clinching the Natwest Trophy final in 2000 from the jaws of the defeat by two young stars Yuvi and kaif. It was a gesture that is remembered and a subject to the argument for some time but as India has paid back what the Fredie Flintoff initiated on our homeland. Dada did it in style in their home turf with a vengeance and utter confidence.

Till 2001 India was not recognized as a great test team while traveling overseas. But the turnaround of 2001 Kolkata test against the then World Champion Australia post following on has made a place in the annals of cricket.  Laxman’s very very special 281 and Bhajji’s magic spell in the second inning bamboozled and outsmarted the world champion. From there onwards, India had the self-belief to do well in the alien conditions in the overseas.

As all great players, Ganguly has to face the ups and downs in his career starting with controversy with coach Greg Chapell and losing his captainship and position from the side. But as the form is temporary and class his permanent he made huge come back and once again proved his mettle in batting field by scoring loads of runs. Before he has called it a day, he already introduced the world another legend of the game and probably the most successful captain of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni.

After all this, memorable and miraculous achievements like other greats of the game he has not distanced himself from the cricket but first as a commentator and next as a chairman of CAB(cricket association of Bengal) continued his interest and support to the game. With five years of a successful stint with the CAB, he is all set to turn the table of Indian cricket as the President of the most prestigious and powerful cricket board of the world. Who knows the Dadagiri he left on the cricket field can be experienced once again off the field. One thing sure he is the most dynamic and one of the best brains in this business ever to take over the throne. He has already hinted to make our first-class infrastructure the most enduring and tough to prepare better players for the future. With two aggressive and attacking players in the form of King Kohli as a captain and Sourav Ganguly as the President of the board, lots have to be seen in the near future.