From the archive: Ganguly knows that there's no glory without guts

Love him or hate him, you can’t ignore him. Indian cricket’s biggest comeback king, Sourav Ganguly has hit the town and has come to the party in a big way! The Pune Warriors had been handed two defeats in a row, one coming at the hands of some shabby bowling by Ashish Nehra at the death, and the other due to generally disorganised cricket in the Chennai Super Kings’ den, but Sourav Ganguly decided to up the ante and show the naysayers who’s still the boss. After their games against the RCB and the CSK, the voices against the Pune Warriors were gaining a lot of momentum. It didn’t help that PWI were generally hapless while playing CSK in their home. It was almost like a re-run of the 2011 script and it seemed to many that the bubble was about to burst. [caption id=“attachment_286763” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Sourav Ganguly has hit the town and has come to the party in a big way. AP”]  [/caption] Embroiled in a controversy of sorts with regards to their most effective bowler so far (Marlon Samuels), Ganguly decided to ring in some adventurous, and downright extreme changes for the all-important match against the Delhi Daredevils. While some thought he was being foolhardy, the former Indian skipper’s knack of pulling off great heists kept everyone interested. They say glory doesn’t come without guts. And if there’s anything that’s been Ganguly’s forte (even during his India days), it’s been his ability to believe in himself even against unimaginable odds. By dropping himself down the batting order, he’s ensured that his relatively slower reflexes do not hinder the scoring rate of the team. At the same time, by promoting Robin Uthappa to open, he’s displayed a lot of faith in him and basically given him the license to play with abandon. Ganguly’s presence lower down the order also serves the purpose of consolidation when the opening stand fails. And this aspect was tested in the match against the Delhi Daredevils. Ganguly found himself at the crease at 26/1, and had to first steer the team into some degree of safety before taking the risks. He ended up with 41, which included one of his trademarked sixes over long off. Pune Warriors ended up with a healthy total, only to end up watching in horror as Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen made mincemeat of their bowlers, taking them to the cleaners and reducing the total down to more achievable proportions. Having reached his wits’ end, Dada decided to chance his arm with the boall, bowling for the first time since 2010 (barring 10 overs thrown down in the domestic circuit earlier this year). Straight away, he got the all-important wicket of Kevin Pietersen, reminding hordes of viewers and spectators why he was once called “The Man With The Golden Arm”. What followed was a tremendous display of jubilation complete with child-like enthusiasm, with the almost forty-year old Ganguly providing what might definitely end up as this IPL’s freeze frame moment. He ran towards the off side boundary, hand up, fist pumping and eyes ablaze with fire, emoting with the passion of a man possessed, a man wanting to step up for his team, a man wanting to win. Eventually, his figures of 4-0-27-2 — backed up with a catch, his score while batting, and a run-out off his bowling — served to provide him with a well-deserved Man of the Match award. If nothing else, the enigma called “Sourav Ganguly” has grown upon the collective hearts of a billion-strong nation, moving the haters and supporters in equal measure. If the wily old fox is able to pull of some more game defining performances, or even inspire some of the others in the team to do so, Pune will surely be on their way to a spot in the playoffs. Sourav Ganguly has finally arrived in this IPL. About the author: Eccentric blogger with an affinity for most things cricket. When not digging into the latest blurbs from the cricket world, he can be seen idolising Sourav Ganguly, tinkering with technology, and generally goofing around with the Indian gentry around him.