I Hate Sourav Ganguly

Dont jump your guns and make conclusions on my loyalty. I am and will die as a ardent Dada fan. This is a wonderful article I stumbled upon. The title is just a bit 'sarcastic' (may be its a good way to garner attention of all the Dada bashers) and for all the reasons enlisted in here, I love him and I love him even more...

Yes, I hate Ganguly, not just because he is arrogant, not because he is a loudmouth and for the fact that he walks an inch off the ground. My reasons are way above that, to begin with I hate him because he didn’t let the Indian cricketing world stay the way it was. He turned a mellow team into a monster, a team with a genius dependent complex into a halfway self assured team, a sporting loser into a raging tiger. 

I hate Ganguly, because he virtually ran through the opposition on Canadian land and gave us the hope that there is someone beyond Sachin who can win matches for us, but reality being he became an anti hero for the people. 

I hate Ganguly for the fact that he gave youngsters the belief that they could fill the big gaps that would be left by the seniors in Indian cricket, I hate him that he backed all the wrong players in the process, yes some turned to be good. But what the hell, I hate him for every experiment he dared and went wrong. 

I hate Ganguly, because he earned the respect of players wide enough to call him Dada, but failed to gain the belief of a major chunk of his countrymen who compared his feats to that of a God and called him just a mortal. I hate him for not letting the folks know he didn’t give a damn about being called God. He should’ve told them I’m an ordinary guy with more guts than talent, just call me dada, which would do. I hate you, because you showed flashes of brilliance that made the team realize that yes,maybe even mortals can win a match. 

I hate Ganguly because he tried to bring foreign imports into India and changed the way that Indian cricketers played. I hate the way that he insulted his coach, it doesn’t matter that the coach was driving a stake through the team. I hate him for speaking his mind out and took on the venerable administrators of the BCCI. I hate him for no more reason than the fact that he considered just winning matches and lashing out at the media would be sufficient. 

I hate Ganguly for disrespecting the ground on which he scored a maiden century by taking his shirt off, how dare he do that? How can he pump his arms in the air for winning just a trophy when Kapil just grinned holding the World cup on the same corridor? He shamed us all Indians; maybe because he played out the vicarious aggression in us, something we just believe wasn’t right. 

I hate Ganguly, because he scored 11k ODI runs, seemingly without talent or any “difference” from a guy on the street, I hate him for taking us to the world cup with utterly no effort from his side, I hate him because he told his lads “Don’t care about what I do, go out and do your thing, and do it damn well”. 

I hate you, Sourav “Dada” Ganguly, coz you showed the fiery spark a few days back blasting your players, but didn’t realize that you were very much a talentless, flukish man yourself. I hate you for the fact that you expect a bunch of talent-challenged people to win you a trophy. I hate you for not realizing you are not a God who can work wonders, just a fallible and grizzled warrior who stubbornly stands up punch after punch, jab after jab.

Do something “different” or just roll over and die. Apparently you haven’t done enough, Prince of Kolkata

A tribute to the legend

Its the birthday of the legend today. As the south-paw celebrates his 37th birthday, I look back into the life of the great bengal tiger.

He has epitomized the trait of a true fighter. He was down on occasion more than one but never was he out. People criticized him and critics ridiculed him; but he was there all alone fighting his battle all on his own. Being destiny's favourite weeping child and having to face to the blunt end of the stick on multiple occasion he has always emerged vindicated and more more determined each time.

Style and elegance were always the ingredients of his batting DNA and the trait of leadership just added to his cricketing heroics. He led the bunch of players and turned them all into a force to reckon with. He daredevils meant that no one could ignore the Indian cricket team anymore, for he is the one who infused confidence into the psyche of each of the team-members and taught them how to stare into the eyes of the opponents. Not that the players were untalented but then they lacked the fighting instinct and he provided it. Like any other great human being, he too had his rough times and he weathered those with equal courage.

Such was this great sporting personality who has made place for himself in the Indian and World Cricket and a place in heart of zillions of cricket fans dotting the world. You will always be an epitome of determination and would be a guiding light for lesser mortals like myself. Dada, thanks to you for being the inspiration for me and many more.

Dada, Shuvo Jonmodin!
Aap jiyo hazaron saal; saal ke din ho pachaas hazaar! :)