"Too Early To Call India No.1" : Sourav Ganguly

January 2, 2009

Sourav Ganguly, the formerIndian captain, has said India must prove themselves overseas before claiming to be the world's best team and that South Africa had the better team and attack - and the better record, home and away. His comments come when Australia are on a losing streak and their rivals are fighting to dislodge them from the top of world cricket.

"To say that India would be number one, I think it's a bit too early", Ganguly told India's NDTV. "Look at the ICC points rankings... Australia, though they have not played good cricket for the last 3-4 months, are still a few points away from the rest.
"India have a very good team but I believe their real test will be overseas, when India go to New Zealand and when they start travelling abroad. If you look at the last year, India has played a lot of cricket at home."

Ganguly said South Africa were currently the better team after their tremendous run in 2008, and felt India's team and allround attack had yet to measure up to South Africa, who, if they win the third Test in Sydney, will take over the No.1 spot on the ICC Test rankings. "If you look at South Africa's performance in the last nine series, they have not dropped a series. It's been all round the world. They have beaten Australia in Australia, they went to England and beat them convincingly." India played nine home Tests in 2008, winning four and losing one, and six away Tests, with two wins and three defeats.


However, Ganguly was impressed with Indian cricket's improvement in facilities as well as performance, and felt the changes were made possible largely due to the huge revenues cricket administrators in India have been able to generate. "To be honest, the system has improved quite a lot. That's bound to happen. Things progress. Indian cricket has had the luck to have money to run cricket. You can see that in some of the stadiums which have been built, some of the facilities which are being provided to the Test playing centres. We played a Test in Nagpur and that's a fabulous venue for Test cricket."

@ Cricinfo

Read More

Ganguly gives selectors a hand

Sourav Ganguly may be playing his last international game in Nagpur, but it seems he continues to have an impact on the team for the future. Kris Srikkanth, India’s chief selector, has revealed that M Vijay, the Tamil Nadu debutant, was drafted into the Test squad after an endorsement from Ganguly.
“Sourav played with him in the India A match [against New Zealand last month] and he specifically told me that Vijay 'is a guy whom you have to look seriously’,” Srikkanth told Times of India. “I took his words very seriously because when a player of Ganguly’s wisdom endorses someone, he has to be special.

"Dav Whatmore [India A coach] too spoke highly of him and even my co-selectors, who saw him in the Challenger Series, were very impressed.” Srikkanth said Vijay’s strong domestic performance also mattered a lot in his surprise selection for the Australia Test and the ODI series against England that follows.

Read More

I and Dada have big plans for IPL 5 : Yuvraj

KOLKATA: Yuvraj Singh, captain of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Pune Warriors, on Wednesday said Sourav Ganguly's inclusion in the Sahara-owned team was his gesture to pay back the support he had received from the former India captain during the initial years of his career.

"I and Sourav share a very good relationship. He supported me a lot during my initial years in international cricket. And I think it was my time to support 'Dada' as he wanted to play IPL," said Yuvraj while addressing a programme of 'Emotional Atyachaar-Season 3'.

"We had very good interactions during the IPL seasons. We had good plans and I hope that we will have good plans and strategy in the next season of the IPL also," said Yuvraj.

Ganguly, who led Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders during the last three IPL seasons, was signed by the Warriors as replacement for Ashish Nehra after he went unsold in the IPL auctions for the fourth edition. Ganguly was roped in at the last moment and many were hoping that the former India captain will turn things around for the bottom-placed Pune side.

When asked about Ganguly's body language in the dressing room during the high voltage match between Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders, Yuvraj said: "I have spoken to him at that time. But he had nothing of that sort in his mind that he needs to prove something against Knight Riders. He always wanted to play good cricket."

Yuvraj also mentioned that Ganguly doesn't need to prove anything to anybody after playing for so many years in international cricket.

"I don't think Sourav needs to prove anything to anybody after playing international cricket for so many years. We have some plans for next season, I'm sure we will do well" he said.

@PTI

Read More

♥ 15 years of DADAGIRI ♥

Itz 20th June guyzzz... 15 years ago, on this very day one of the greatest cricketers of India made his test debut. He is none other than our own DADA..!

Sourav Ganguly ~ The name says it all :-)
It was chill cold outside..The English was looking dangerous.. India was trembling.. However Something terrific was to happen.. The Least expected.. The Most Surprising.. A skinny boy from the very unknown quarter of cricket was about to usher is magic ! Sourav felt a shiver down his veins. Was it cold or the thrill of the moment? It was the moment for him. He had waited four years for this. It was time to give a suitable reply to all the controversies and allegations that was hurled at him. Even his selection wasn’t free of criticisms. Before the start of the test, the rumour went as “A new batsman from Kolkata has been included in the team. It is because of the Bengali quota’’. But what if he fails?

Sourav, closed his eyes and moved his head in a sideways. Blood rushed up his veins...that put all these thoughts out of his mind. .. he encircled his arms, to warm them up. The pitch was coming closer and closer. He tried to think what Mike had told him. “Enjoy your game my dear boy.”

He walked up to the batting crease and took guard. The bowler was running to him. Sourav could see only the red ball in his hand. THE REST IS WRITTEN IN GOLDEN QUOTES OF WORLD HISTORY !

What a terrific innings that was.... a century in the debut test !
It was the day which changed the history of Indian cricket..
The day which saw the phoenix rising ..

Hats off to this man and the most succesful skipper of India.Thanks Sourav for everything you have done. What u have contributed to Indian cricket is incredible.. You made us proud Dada ! Long live !!

♥ Love You Dada ♥

Read More

Dhoni has taken Indian cricket to a different level: Sourav Ganguly

Kolkata, June 06: Sourav Ganguly on Sunday praised Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for taking Indian cricket to a different level and conveyed his best wishes to the team for the ongoing West Indies tour. Ganguly said Dhoni has made eastern India proud since he belongs to that part of country which has not produced many great cricketers in the past. With the win in World Cup 2011, Dhoni is now being considered as a cricketer with a midas touch, excelling in all three formats of the game – one day, test matches and Twenty20

Read More