Ganguly, Dravid, Dhoni: Who’s the Best Captain?

All three had captained the Indian team (One still does) - in three different styles and all the three are at very different stages of their careers today but the Indian Premier League (IPL) brings them together on a single platform where their leadership skills are evaluated them – Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni once again – quite differently.

All the three have contributed immensely to Indian cricket and many argue that a comparison of these outstanding three is unfair. However, debate, undoubtedly, is also the best part of watching sport. And there is the IPL battle being played out in front of us and so, we can be the judges of the present without much of assumptions and imaginations.

There is a difference, a unique feel that Sourav Ganguly brings on to the cricketing field when he takes over the captaincy. And today when he is back with his leadership tactics on the field, the nostalgia begins to jumpstart among the cricket frenzy Indian crowd.

Ganguly’s inputs as the captain of Pune Warriors have been noticeable when his side overthrew the Mumbai Indians on the third match of IPL V. The furious captain rung in the changes and with his unique style, he made some remarkable field placements and as always, he was constantly looking for wickets.

Ganguly who took over the captaincy of Indian team at a very tumultuous period with a task of lifting a team that lost its credibility to the match-fixing controversy. He did rebuild the side reeling from the fallout and had to battle the odds stacked against the Indian team such as “tigers at home and lambs away.” The flamboyant captain created a team that wants afraid of anyone, just like Ganguly who always spoke his mind and dared the orthodox as he took off his shirt at the Mecca of cricket – eventually making the Indian team an aggressive and confident unit.

As today he leads a unit of new commerce, it should be noted that it was with his backing, India saw the emergence of a bunch of talented youngster like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, and Harbhajan Singh etc. And in the absence of Yuvraj, Ganguly comes to the Pune Team as its captain and mentor, with a not-so-good record in KKR, to prove something and a motivated Ganguly can do wonders.

One of the finest batsmen in the world, technically perfect, carrying a rich experience of 16 years of international cricket, Rahul Dravid will remain to be admired for his exemplary work ethic, meticulousness, and methodical approach for eternity. On the grounds of IPL season V, the world saw a highly spirited Rahul Dravid who carried the role of captaincy and coaching from its talismanic leader Shane Warne with ease, taking the his team Rajasthan Royals to the top spots in the points table. Dravid, with a different temperament that of Warne, could handle the transition with exceptional maturity and cricketing intelligence.

“Warne was loud, aggressive and loved being the centre of attention. Rahul Dravid is quiet, restrained and simply goes about his business,” Tariq Engineer writes espncricinfo. However, both these cricketing greats share something in common – their ability to lead by example and deep knowledge of the game. “A game of T20 lasts for little over three hours, but he bats for three hours on days we have to practice! His work ethics and discipline have become the benchmark for the team,” Dishant Yagnik says about his captain.

It’s no wonder Rahul exhibit his best during this IPL season as he is probably under the least amount of pressure because for Dravid, these two months of IPL is the cooling down period for him. The former Indian captain, who always took decisions by books than by pure instinct, has the best of his chances and he proves to be implementing his great knowledge of the game this time.

Dhoni’s record as skipper makes him one of the best captains the team ever had; however, the recent poor shows first in England and then the tour Down Under have severely dented his reputation.

Dhoni added a finishing touch to what his captain Sourav Ganguly had began with and brought in a new culture of consistency and the team went on to clinch a number of tournaments. Indian cricket team reached to the No.1 in Test cricket and in the biggest games, unlike the past, the team didn’t crumble under pressure. As a result, Team India Under MS Dhoni made history by winning the top tittles in ICC World T20 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The fearlessness that Dhoni instilled in the team has helped the new comers like Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin, to name a few, who exhibited their exceptional skills at the highest levels. And the good forms of the seniors like Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman brought back the good memories of the Ganguly era.

It’s here Dhoni faces the real test. After having an exceptional period of captaincy, India’s awful performance away that brought back unwanted memories of the past, generated doubts from different corners on his leadership qualities. The IPL extravaganza is going to be a salvage operation for Dhoni, a chance for him to figure out what’s gone missing and this cricketing festival, without the pressure of leading a national team, will draw his true self once again.

Rahul Dravid’s Master Strokes

The ‘Wall of Indian Cricket’ Rahul Dravid has announced his retirement from international cricket. He grew along with the Indian cricket greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly. In his 16 year cricket career, he achieved the most remarkable 13288 test scores in 164 test matches and 10889 ODI runs in 344 matches.

The Wall made his debut in 1996 during India’s tour of England. He scored 95 runs in his first test at Lords stadium in London. In his parting speech, he declares his retirement from international and domestic first class cricket and says “No dream is ever chased alone. As I look back, as one does at such a time, I have many people to thank for supporting me, teaching me and believing in me.”

From 1996 he has done an extraordinary job in Indian cricket and had gained the title of being ‘The Wall’ which credited many Indian victories.  Here are the best knocks of his career.

January 1997

In January 1997 it was his first highest test score against South Africa in Johannesburg. He scored 148 runs in 362 balls along with 21 boundaries in this innings.

January 1999

In 1999 Rahul became the third Indian batsman scoring centuries in both innings of the test match. In the match against New Zealand in Hamilton he scored 190 runs in 354 balls with 31 boundaries. Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar were the other two Indian players who achieved this feat. In this test match

May 1999

Dravid was the only Indian player to score back-to-back centuries in the 1999 World Cup matches. One prominent match among them was against Sri Lanka in Taunton. He scored 145 runs in 129 balls and also become the top scorer of the series with a total score of 461 runs.

March 2001

In 2001 Rahul scored 180 test runs in 353 balls (not out) against Australia in Kolkata. He with the partnership of Laxman made a huge score of 376 runs. This huge score was the greatest comeback victory in Indian cricket.

August 2002

One of the most notable matches against England, where Dravid scored total of 602 test runs in the series which got him the man of the series award. His highest score in the series was 148 in 307 balls.

September 2002

Rahul once again earned the man of the match title against England in London, scoring 217 runs in 468 balls.

December 2003

In 2003 India tour of Australia Rahul scored total 619 test runs in the series and got the man of the series award. His outstanding score in the series was 233 with a partnership of Laxman it was a huge score of 303 which become a danger for Australians to win the series.

April 2004

In 2004 against India tour of Pakistan in Rawalpindi, Rahul earned the player of the match. He scored 270 runs in 495 balls along with 34 boundaries and won the innings by 131 runs.

January 2008

In 2008 test match against Australia, Rahul was a life saver. He scored 93 runs in 183 balls and we won the match by 72 runs. This is not a big score but every other Indian player scored less than 29 runs in the innings.

June 2011

Dravid once again became a life saver wall when other batsmen failed to score not more than 28 runs against West Indies. He scored 112 in 274 balls and leading Indian to the victory by 63 runs.

Related articles

• Rahul Dravid announces retirement from international cricket (kish.in)
• Will there ever be another like Rahul Dravid? (churumuri.wordpress.com)
• Dravid (deepbackwardpoint.com)
• Rahul Dravid ends international career (nation.com.pk)

India Becomes Pitch for Australian Comedy Film

Though the Indian cricket team fared poorly against Australia in Perth Friday, Indian cities Varanasi, Kolkata and Mumbai are serving as a pitch for an Australian comedy movie “Save Your Legs!”.

The movie is being described as a wild ride from the suburbs of Australia to India. It narrates the story of Edward ‘Teddy’ Brown, who is in a desperate bid to wind back the clock and cling to his childhood dreams. Teddy leads his two best mates and their D-Grade cricket club on a tour of India, winning friends but losing matches all the way.

“Cricket is very much part of the relationship which binds Australia and India together in so many ways,” acting Australian high commissioner Lachlan Strahan, said in a press statement.

“It’s wonderful to see the best of Australia’s film industry taking the sporting and cultural relationship in a new direction, telling a very human story about a game which grips the national imagination in the two countries. All of this is done with humour and sensitivity,” he added.

The film boasts of a talented and critically acclaimed Australian and Indian cast. Indian actors including Darshan Jariwala, Pallavi Sharda and Sid Makkar will be seen in the film, with a guest appearance by “Indian Premier League (IPL) Extra Innings” anchor Shibani Dandekar.

The film also features a cameo by cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee, who will take to the pitch on the big screen for the first time.

First-time feature film director Boyd Hicklin helms “Save Your Legs!”, produced by Robyn Kershaw and Nick Batzias.

The production in India is being supervised by Line Producer Pravesh Sahni and his team at India Take One Productions (ITOP), who managed shoots of international projects like “Mission Impossible 4“, “Eat Pray Love” and “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The world premiere of “Save Your Legs!” is scheduled for the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2012 before its commercial release in Australia and India later this year.

The movie has been named “Save Your Legs!” as the phrase is commonly used in Australia whenever cricket is played and a batsman hits a boundary. It is the cry heard from teammates as there is no need for the batsman to run hence the term “save your legs”, said the statement.

Life Saga Of The One-Eyed Tiger Of India Cricket

The demiseof cricket legend Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi brings to an end one of the finest innings in Indian cricket history. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, nicknamed Tiger Pataudi, was once the Indian cricket captain. The great cricketer was born in the royal household of Pataudi, at Bhopal, on 5th January, 1941. His father, Iftikhar Ali Khan was the eighth Nawab of Pataudi, whom Mansur succeeded to become the 9th Nawab. His mother, Sajida Sultan was the former “Begum of Bhopal”.

The true Nawab of all time completed his education from Winchester College in England and from the Oxford University, after which he devotedly followed his interest in cricket. Mansur became famous during his cricket career. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pacer. He played in 46 Test matches for India, between 1961 and 1975.

Soon after starting his career, at the age of 20, a car accident permanently damaged his right eye. That should have brought to an end Pataudi’s cricketing career, but the “tiger” that he was, fought his way into the field, learning to play cricket with one eye.

In March 1962, Mansoor was elevated to the captaincy of the Indian cricket team. Until 2004 (when Taitenda Taibu surpassed him), he held the world record for the youngest test captain, and to date holds the record for the youngest Indian captain. He had a batting average of 34. Mansoor captained the Indian team in 40 matches, only 9 of which resulted in victory for his team, but those included India’s first ever Test match win overseas against New Zealand in 1968. India went on to win that series making it their first ever Test series victory overseas. He was dropped as captain of the Indian team in 1970 and as a player in 1975.

Balancing his professional cricketing career and personal life, Mansur married famous Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore in 1969. The two had apparently met in 1965 through common friends, when Sharmila was in Delhi for a shoot. She was the gorgeous star and Mansur, the suave young Indian captain, both glamorous figures. Despite the obvious attraction, it took him a while to win her heart. According to some reports, he even gifted Sharmila a refrigerator in a bid to win over his ladylove. It was roses that finally did the trick and after four years, she finally accepted his proposal. With Sharmila, he had three children, namely Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan, both Bollywood celebrities, and Saba Ali Khan, a noted jewellery designer.

For his immense contribution and dedication in the field of cricket, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1964 and was also honored with the “Wisden Cricketer of the Year” in 1968.

After retirement, Mansur continued to serve Indian cricket, being the national cricket coach between 1974 and 1975. He also served as an ICC match referee in both Tests and ODI (1993-96).

He entered politics in 1971, contesting from Gurgaon for Vishal Haryana Party in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, protesting the abolition of Privy Purse in India.

Pataudi also witnessed some controversial times during his life time. In 2005 he was involved in the “hunting case” of the endangered black buck species. He eventually surrendered and was released on bail after spending two days in jail.

The 70-year-old Nawab was admitted to New Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on 29 August 2011 as a chronic interstitial lung disease prevented his lungs from exchanging oxygen properly. He passed away due to a respiratory failure on 22 September 2011.

Related articles

• Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi dies aged 70 (espncricinfo.com)
• Mansur Ali Khan Patuadi passed away (kish.in)
• Top Indian cricketer Pataudi dies (bbc.co.uk)
• Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, dies at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi (panasianbiz.com)

Most Controversial Cricket Autobiographies

Cricket, popularly known as “Gentlemen’s Game” is not devoid of its justifiable share of controversies. Autobiographies of some legendary cricketers arouse untold controversies which staggered and dazed people across the globe. Listed below are a few autobiographies of famous cricketers that stormed the world with controversies.

Herschelle Gibbs

South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs penned his book “To The Point”. His book talks about drink, drugs sexual orgies and match fixing during his years with the South African team. After reading his book some people still love him and are happy that he has uncovered the dark side of cricket while others have lost total respect and are absolute disgusted. The book not only details his personal experiences and achievements, along with his failures, but it also places a limelight on the demeanor and behaviour of a number of his teammates who he has played with over the years

Adam Gilchrist

Australian batsman and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist authored “True Colours” in 2008. The book flew off the shelves for his take at Sachin Tendulkar, who during the Monkeygate racism scandal gave some questionable data against what was supposedly said to India’s Harbhajan Singh. Eliciting events of the Monkeygate controversy, where Harbhajan Singh was accused of racism, Adam lashed out at the off-spinner, Tendulkar and cricket boards of both India and Australia.He also banged officials from both countries, condemning the BCCI of “playing politics” and Cricket Australia and the ICC of “caving in” when the spinner’s original deferment was annihilated.

John Wright

In 2006, John Wright authored the book “John Wright’s Indian Summers” unfolding his experiences as coach of the Indian Cricket Team along with Indian journalist ShardaUgra and Paul Thomas. His book is rather ironic, as it caused offence among some Indians. The book has not been released in the sub-continent, yet has rapidly been dubbed as controversial. He has prudently abstained from cheap shots and score settling, which often depreciate the appeal of such books. Most disturbing was the answer to Ganguly’s evaporating captaincy. Those who proposed Dravid as captain were seen to despise Ganguly, and those sticking with Ganguly were thus anti-Dravid

Sunil Gavaskar

“Sunny Days” by Sunil Gavaskar was labeled as pretty courageous for its day. The book was revealed in 1976. Erapalli Prasanna’s One More Over published a year later also had passages that were bound to raise a ruckus. The generally mild-mannered Dilip Doshi surprised one and all by making a no-holds barred attack on Sunil Gavaskar in his autobiography “Spin Punch” released in 1991. Many passages were vitriolic against Gavaskar the man and the captain.

Ian Botham

Not unexpectedly Ian Botham’s autobiography was explosive. His book “Head On” is admittance to drug misuse and playing entirely different sort of cricket in the field. The great England all rounder had a standard of living in harmony with his larger than life image and feats on the field. It contained many anecdotes that belonged to the commercial grouping including the charge that Pakistan bowlers interfered with the ball. Of course his admittance that he smoked marijuana also ensured that the book would be a best seller.

Jim Laker

One can easily dwell upon what uproar Jim Laker’s autobiography “Over To Me” released in 1960 beget. The great England off spinner really hit out at all. It manifolds and exposed personal episodes that should not in general have found their way in print. The book is stenched of resentment and anger. While reviewing it, John Arlott behold that it was a pity that the book had such a piercingly grave tone by a bowler with 193 wickets in 46 Tests, esteemed as possibly the best off spinner of all time and holder of the famous 19 for 90 record at Old Trafford during his Golden Summer of 1956, certainly had a better time in the game than the book suggested. The book got him into trouble with both MCC and Surrey, his county.

Ian Meckiff

When Ian Meckiff came out with his autobiography “Thrown Out” it was anticipated to lift up a hornet’s nest and it did. Meckiff presented himself as a sacrificial victim and had unflattering things about many cricketers of his time, and the fact remained that he had a divisive mindset. In the end with he was called for throwing by an Australian umpire and retired from the game.

Kapil Dev

He has written three autobiographical works. “By God’s Decree” in 1985, “Cricket my Style” in 1987 and his most recent autobiography, titled “Straight from the Heart” in 2004. Kapil said, “I have nothing to hide. I have no worries. In my book, I’ve said what I think of my life, my family, my friends, teammates, the cricket board and the media.”

The Last Match of the Great Wall

As the whole world watches, amidst the thunderous applause from the crowd and the players, the man walks past the ground, ending a legendary era of class, passion, and rectitude in the game of cricket – a scene best wished for The Wall of Indian Cricket, Rahul Dravid as he plays his last ODI match. He is a man the world adores for his skills and techniques, but the real worth of the great cricketer has often been hidden in the shadow of his contemporary legends, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

What will his absence mean to the world cricket? We are going to miss the graceful flicks, the breathtaking timings, and the poetry in motion on the crease – those standards of cricketing fast vanishing from the game in this new era of unorthodoxy and pinch hitters. He epitomized the test cricket and played the role of India’s ‘go-to man’ in pressure situations. Nearing the end of an embarrassing two-month England series in which victory looked far ahead of Team India, Dravid’s exit from ODIs will definitely leave a void in the squad, the dependability factor which many wonder if any can fill.

Great talents cannot be hidden and so was Dravid’s who was spotted by former cricketers seeing an amazingly skillful kid scoring a century on debut for his school team. Fondly called Jammy by his classmates, the Bangalore boy began his cricketing career in his early teens as he represented the state at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 level. He made his one-day debut in 1996 against Sri Lanka replacing the spoiled kid of Indian cricket Vinod Kambli. He mastered the art of this gentleman’s game and lived by it for over 15 years now, a great cricketing saga that can never be erased from the books of cricket. In 2007, he become the third Indian player and the sixth in the world to score 10,000 runs in ODI cricket and with one match to go, he has 10,820 runs from 343 matches to his credit. The 38-year-old right-hander has scored 12 hundreds and 82 fifties.

Records are many but to cite an unusual one, he is the highest scorer to be overlooked for the Man of the Match award. Despite his career best 153 against New Zealand, the MoM went to Sachin Tendulkar for his unbeaten 186. Though a fault of none, he has been overshadowed, not once but many a times, by some of the equally great performance from his contemporary stars. The delight of his debut ODI century in 1997 was sunk at the glory of Saeed Anwar’s then world record of 194.

Against the popular notion, Rahul Dravid holds the record of scoring the second fastest fifty by an Indian in one-day cricket. His 82 fifties in ODI is the second highest by an Indian and the third highest by any in the history of cricket. He has been a part of two of the largest partnerships in world cricket – A 331-run stand with Sachin Tendulkar for the second wicket against New Zealand in 1999 and a 318-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly.

He has always been in the scene, cricket never left him neither he did. His embraced the spirit of the game so tight that he emerged victorious at each falls. And now, as he walks down the crease, one last time in the blue jersey, it bleeds not blue but tears down the eyes of his loyal spectators who loved the glorious game in its entirety.

Related articles

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• India face the final curtain (espncricinfo.com)
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• Dravid to quit ODIs after England series (espncricinfo.com)
• India spark controversy by skipping ICC Awards (espncricinfo.com)

Author – Binu Paul,SI