Saturday, October 31, 2009

DADA-Only cricketer to stop two double centuries in ODI


















Another amazing fact about Dada....he is the only cricketer who have stopped two double centuries in ODI cricket...

One was against Pakistan when Saeed Anwar was batting at 194..an amazing and impossible catch by Dada stopped the would be first double century by Anwar..

The second one was against Sri Lanka when Jayasuriya was batting at 189 and dada came to bowl....a very clever delivery came from Dada which was called a wide...but Jayasuriya chased it and was stumped....end of hope for yet another would be double century in ODI....

In both the games this happened when it was not the last over...so batsmen who were on fire had ample chances....

But unfortunately they had our Dada in the opponent team playing......so
...that stopped all their hopes....and saved India from some bigger shame...


SOURCE : CRICINFO


Monday, October 26, 2009

Selectors mull over appointing Sourav As Bengal captain


Posted: Sunday , Oct 25, 2009


Kolkata: How about Sourav Ganguly taking charge of a disjointed Bengal team and making it a close-knit unit? The Bengal selectors are toying with the idea after Laxmi Ratan Shukla & Co cut a sorry figure in the East Zone T20 meet at Dhanbad. Bengal lost three successive matches in the tournament, but, more importantly, the split is wide open in the camp. There appears to be a leadership crisis as Shukla is finding it tough handling the situation. On Thursday, before Bengal’s match against Assam, negative vibes affected team spirit after a few senior players were dropped. Ganguly’s appointment as skipper can fix everything as Bengal now prepare for the upcoming Ranji Trophy.

Ganguly has said he will pick and choose his Ranji matches to keep himself match-fit for the IPL. He wants to play the home matches but, at the same time, is open to the offer to play away games if the situation demands. It’s up to the selectors now to convince him that Bengal need his presence for the entire season.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

~Dada was offered blank cheque for BIG BOSS ~



Sunday, October 25, 2009 2:51 IST

Mumbai: Reality doesn't bite. It pays. Consider this. Former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has admitted that he was offered a "blank cheque" to get locked up in Bigg Boss' house.

"I was made an offer by a television channel to stay locked in a house for a period of two months. The remuneration they put in front of me was a blank cheque,"
Sourav told DNA. Senior executives at the TV channel Colors as well as producer company Endemol confirmed the offer.

Ganguly, who is already hosting a game show on a rival channel, has refused the offer.
"My hands are full. I didn't want to get into such reality shows right now," he added.

This isn't a one-off, say sources at Endemol. Flashing a blank cheque in front of celebrities has, of late, become a trend -- a way to "grab celebrities" for reality shows.

"We did contact Sourav and asked him to quote his own price to be on the show. But the same offer was made to a lot of other celebs too. They were at liberty to quote their price to us and we would have immediately agreed had the price suited us," says a senior executive at Colors.

Not everyone, though, gets to quote their price. "This trend is limited only to Bollywood A-listers and a few other celebs of that stature," added a senior official at Endemol

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Challenge to ESPN's voting of Best ODI Batsman


Date : 21/10/09


These are the top run getters in ODI's :
SR Tendulkar (India) - 16,903 (Runs) 44.48(Average) 430(Matches)

ST Jayasuriya (Asia/SL) - 13,377(Runs) 32.54(Average) 441(Matches)

Inzamam-ul-Haq (Asia/Pak) - 11,739(Runs) 39.52(Average) 378(Matches)

RT Ponting (Aus/ICC) - 12, 044(Runs) 43.17(Average) 324 (Matches)

SC Ganguly (Asia/India) - 11,363(Runs) 41.02(Average) 311(Matches)

R Dravid (Asia/ICC/India) - 10,765(Runs) 39.43(Average) 339(Matches)

BC Lara (ICC/WI) - 10,405(Runs) 40.48(Average) 299(Matches)

JH Kallis (Afr/ICC/SA) - 10,328(Runs) 45.10(Average) 294(Matches)

AC Gilchrist (Aus/ICC) - 9,619(Runs) 35.89(Average) 287(Matches)

M Azharuddin (India) - 9,378(Runs) 36.92(Average) 334(Matches).

In above Players Jaysuriya Played the most Matches, So i m calculating the runs they wud hav got if they hav played the matches equal to Jaysuriya. I ll calculate runs according to their Carrer averages........

Sachin -17392
Ponting-17094
Kallis-16958
Ganguly- 16695
Gilly-15146
Dravid-14787
Lara-16153
Inzmam-14229
Jaysuriya- 13,377
Azharuddin-13328.

And if we know that after ganguly's comeback.he had average of 45.......and by considering this average Ganguly's runs wud be 17213 runs and this is second highest after sachin, and even sachin is not far, Sachin is just 179 runs ahead of ganguly. and most importantly Ganguly was captain but sachin wasnt.

Note: This thread is for ESPNSTAR. They shud hav look to that thread and they ll find who the best ODI Player is.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Ganguly begins season on a high !!!


Kolkata, Oct 18 (PTI) 
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly began the season on a positive note, slamming an unbeaten 45-ball 62 in a practice Twenty20 match at the Eden Gardens here today.

Ganguly hit two sixes and six fours to guide his team to an eight wicket victory.

The southpaw, who retired from international cricket after Australia series last year, hit the Bengal bowlers all over the ground with disdain.

Divided into two teams - A and B - Bengal cricketers played their second T20 match before they leave for Dhanbad for the Mushtaq Ali T20 East Zone meet.

Team A featuring Bengal skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla were bowled out for 119 in 19.3 overs, while in reply, Ganguly's blazing form ensured a win with 3.4 overs to spare.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

HAPPY DIWALI TO MY DADA AND HIS FAMILY!!!!!


. May This Diwali be as bright as ever.

. May this Diwali bring joy, health and wealth to you.

. May the festival of lights brighten up you and your near and dear ones lives.

. May this Diwali bring in u the most brightest and choicest happiness

. May this Diwali bring you the utmost in peace and prosperity.

. May lights triumph over darkness.

. May peace transcend the earth.

. May the spirit of light illuminate the world.

. May the light that we celebrate at Diwali show us the way and lead us together on the path of peace and social harmony
.
.
.
"WISH U A VERY HAPPY & SAFE DIWALI".
.
.
.

SATHISH KUMAR....

Railway stadium will help sports persons: Ganguly


Friday, October 16, 2009 

Kolkata: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday batted for Railway minister Mamata Banerjee's ambitious indoor stadium project in Kolkata and said the facility would help sports persons represent the country.

"I am personally very excited about the project," the ace cricketer said addressing the gathering at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the stadium to be named after film maestro Satyajit Ray at Behala.

"I have seen the ground from very close quarters for the last 10 years as this place is very near to my home. When I was playing international cricket, it used to be an open ground and I would practice here ... I am very happy as the stadium will have indoor as well as outdoor facilities," Ganguly said.

The Satyajit Ray Railway Indoor Stadium will have an athletic track to cater to outdoor sports as well.

Thanking Railways for promoting sport, the southpaw said "I hope Kolkata sports persons from various fields benefit from the stadium and get to represent India in future. For sports persons, job security is very important and the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) is ensuring that."

Sprint queen P T Usha, football greats Sailen Manna, Samar (Badru) Banerjee, Syed Nayeemuddin were among those present at the programme.

It was also attended by former cricketer Sambaran Banerjee, swimmer Rashmi Sharma, India women's cricket captain Jhulan Goswami, Olympian archer Dola Banerjee and athletes Sushmita Singha Roy and Soma Biswas.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

DADA of cricket with DADA of music !!!


OCT 14,KOLKATA: It was an evening when two legends met for a cause. Sourav Ganguly looked on as A R Rahman on Tuesday announced his Jai Ho' concert at Salt Lake stadium on November 14, five years after he rocked a packed house at the same venue.

The show is being organized by The Liver Foundation West Bengal and will help spread awareness about liver ailments and raise funds.

"I last performed here five years back. My heart was touched by the love and affection showered on me by the 90,000-strong audience at the show. This time I hope it will be a bigger success, more so because I feel privileged and honoured to be called to perform for a noble cause," Rahman said. Though he receives a stream of requests for performances, this concert was chosen by Rahman for its deservingness.

"It will form a part of my nationwide chain of concerts that has already been taken to Calicut, Pune and Chennai. A unique project has been taken up by the Liver Foundation and I am glad to be part of it. The organization has a great aspiration to serve society," said the music director, who has won two Oscars for his work in Slumdog Millionaire.

Sourav has been instrumental in supporting the foundation since its inception. "A few years back in Siliguri, we had come together with urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya to help a child, who was suffering from liver disease, recuperate. He could not afford the cost of treatment. I hope a lot of people benefit from the initiative taken up by the Liver Foundation," he said.

Asked about how songs of Tagore and folk music of Bengal have influenced his work, Rahman said he had experimented with Tagore and other Bengali songs in a few of his Tamil films. Asked to pick a favourite song from his vast range of compositions, Rahman said, "It is very difficult to pick and choose. However, the songs I composed for Roja are really very special. I have a lot of fond memories attached to them."

SOURCE : TIMES OF INDIA

DADA surprised by Dravid's exclusion !!


Date : 10/15/09
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed surprise over Rahul Dravid's exclusion from Team India for the ODI's against Australia.

"I don't know whether this is experimentation or what.I don't think the selectors will experiment in a series against Australia," he said when asked to comment on the squad picked for the first two ODIs of a seven-match series.

"But I am a little surprised at the decision (of dropping Dravid). But it's a decision by the selectors and they know what is better for the side,
" Ganguly, himself a victim of selectors' decisions on several occasions, said.

On the ICC Champions Trophy debacle, the southpaw said, "It's sport and there will be ups and downs. It's important to support them (the team) when they are not doing well. I hope they will be back to their winning ways against Australia."

Having made a comeback to the one-day fold recently in the September tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa, Dravid failed to find favour with the selectors.

Dravid had a decent show since his return with 180 runs from five matches at an average of 36.

The seven-match series against Australia is beginning from October 25.

Sourav accepts Mamata's inaugural offer


October 13, 2009

Kolkatta: In West Bengal, any liaison between politicians and celebrities is becoming a matter of speculation and analysis. The latest celebrity to figure in this conjecture is former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly.

The tittle-tattle started after Ganguly accepted an invitation from railways minister Mamata Banerjee to attend the foundation stone-laying of a Eastern Railway sports stadium in Kolkata on October 15. Ganguly will be the chief guest.

This is the first time Ganguly, known to be close to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, will be sharing the dais with Mamata. The cricketer was not seen at the railway minister's celebrity-studded event to inaugurate the expanded metro network some months back.

Ganguly, however, rubbished talk of any understanding between him and the railway minister, saying he's going to attend the event because he supports all developmental initiatives in the state.

The former captain had been an ardent supporter of the industrial policies of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government. He's written many articles expressing solidarity with the government and even at the height of the Left-Mamata tussle over Singur, Ganguly was vocal against the Trinamool.

Political analysts feel that people have seen many celebrities switching political sides, which is why such matters have become a subject of gossip and rumour. "A majority of the celebrities in Trinamool were long-time supporters of CPI(M). There is feeling that as the wind of change become stronger, more people will switch sides," said one analyst.

"Unfortunately, some people are applying the same logic in Ganguly accepting the offer to be chief guest. I am sure he's doing it because he's a sportsman. By accepting the invitation, Ganguly has snubbed all talk of him being close to one political force," an analyst said.

DADA to play practice match for Bengal !!


Kolkata, Oct 14 (PTI) : Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will play a practice match for Bengal before the team departs for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 (East Zone) tournament in Dhanbad.

"Bengal will play two practice matches among themselves on October 16 and 18. Ganguly will play the second match on October 18," chairman of Bengal selectors Sambaran Banerjee said.

The Bengal left-hander had earlier given his consent to play for Bengal in a few Ranji Trophy matches. He will also represent Bengal in the one-dayers for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Ganguly is expected to return as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in the third edition of the Indian Premier League scheduled to be held from March 12-April 25.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla will lead Bengal who will play Assam to open their zonal Twenty20 campaign in Dhanbad on October 21 followed by their match against Jharkhand the next day.

Source : Press Trust of India
~~~~~~~~~~~~``

Sunday, October 11, 2009

HOW DADA WON MATCHES CHASING.... ????ALSO CHECK OUT HIS WHOPPING AVERAGE IN THOSE MATCHES~~~


NOW LET ME TELL U THE REAL THING!!!

SITTING DOWN WITH THE CRICINFO PAGE OPENED I STUMBLED ONTO THIS FACT...

WHEN DADA SCORED CENTURY CHASING A TOTAL OUT OF 7 TIMES 6 TIMES HE HAS WON THE MATCH FOR INDIA.(ONLY TIME HE MISSED WAS 100 AGAINST AUSSIES IN MELBOURNE)

"HE AVERAGES A WHOPPING 695 IN THE MATCHES HE WON!!!"

WELL HE OPENED IN EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM AND REMAINED NOT OUT IN 5 OUT OF 6!!!!

AGAIN TAKING CONSIDERATION OF THE MATCHES WE SHALL SEE THAT HE WON 5 OUT OF THOSE 6 MATCHES SINGLE HANDEDLY. EXCEPTING THE ONE AGAINST ENGLAND
WHEN HE SCORED 117* ALONG WITH A CENTURY FROM SEHWAG IN THE ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY..

IN ALL HE HAS WON 6 MATCHES FOR INDIA BY SCORING A CENTURY WHILE CHASING AND 5 HAVE BEEN SINGLE HANDED WINS OR INNINGS WHICH CAN BE TERMED AS MATCH WINNERS!!!


-CHECK THE LINK PROVIDED EARLIER FOR FURTHER DETAILS


LINK : http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/28779.html?batting_fielding_first=2;class=2;filter=advanced;orderby=start;result=1;runsmin1=100;runsval1=runs;template=results;type=batting;view=innings

I will be the captain next season : Sourav Ganguly


OCT 11,2009
The interactive session happened with the dealers of Captain TMT bars of which he is a brand ambassador.



Ind vs Aus :
It will be a close series but then my money will be on India since they are playing at home.

KKR Captaincy :
I will be the captain next season and will take all the decisions...

KKR Coach :
Both John (Wright) and Dav (Whatmore) have good knowledge of the game. But I know John better since I have worked with him for five years during my stint as India captain.

Best Captain :
Sourav said that said that he admired Ricky Ponting, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Andrew Strauss. “But at this moment Ponting is the best in the world. He is slightly ahead of Dhoni, I will say,.

Eden hosting a match for SL series:
If Eden doesn’t get, who will!

Leadership Quality :
He has to invent things. He can’t be dogmatic in his approach. He has to win the trust of the players and should not be afraid of taking risks. Whatever happens inside the selection meetings, he should be honest with that to his team members. Trust is very important to become a successful captain.

On his journey to captaincy :
You don’t start think such things. It was just my love for the game that I used to go to Eden Gardens. I used to be thrilled. When I got a chance to play for Bengal I was so excited. Then came the East Zone call and I was more excited.

Famous Lords Incident :
Sourav said he did that out of excitement and was not venting his ire at anyone. “Won’t you be excited when you strike a deal,” he asked.

His Best Innings :
96 against Pakistan in Toronto in 1997 was his best ODI innings. And 144 against Australia in Brisbane I will rate as my best Test innings.

Anything that still rankles?
Well the 2003 World Cup final loss to Australia...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Sehwag has it in him to lead India : Ganguly


New Delhi | Wednesday, Oct 7 2009 IST :

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has stated that swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag has the potential to be a successful captain at the international level. ''Virender Sehwag has it in him to lead India. Sehwag still has at least 5-6 years of cricket in him and even if any chance of captaining the side comes his way in the last two years of his career he should not pass it on,'' Sourav said.

Sehwag had decided to step down from the post of vice-captain, saying that he wanted someone younger to be picked and groomed to lead India in the future. But the decision did not find any favours with Ganguly who urged the Delhi batsman to be more proactive in accepting leadership roles.

''I don't think Veeru should think like this. Sehwag has enjoyed immense success in all three formats of the game and it is natural for a player of his stature to be the Vice Captain and the first choice to be the captain if and when an opportunity comes his way,'' the former skipper averred. Speaking on India's poor run in the recently concluded Champions Trophy, Ganguly said,''you cannot win them all, you loose some you win some. The boys are in tremendous form and they should be given the support and motivation to turn them into world beaters.'' ''It is necessary for a team to keep its nerves in crunch matches. Team India has matured into a fighting unit but to be able to make the difference we need a match winner like Shane Watson who can impact the game with his all-round abilities,'' he told 'Star News'.

Admitting that injuries did play a part in scupperring India's chances in South Africa Ganguly said,''the absence of the three match winners - Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan did affect the Indian team's prospects at the Champions Trophy; however their return will strengthen the team in upcoming series.'' The 37-year-old left-hander is all set to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders in the third season of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) and sounded positive about the team's chances despite poor performances during the first two editions.

He said that though the team had a bad last season, it was looking to turn the tide just as the Deccan Chargers did.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Ganguly shoud lead KKR - Foreign Players


Oct 04, 2009 

New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is the man best suited to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders in their redemption journey in the third edition of the Indian Premier League next year, feel KKR foreign players.

The Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise, which finished at the bottom of the points table in the second season of the lucrative tournament in South Africa this year, is yet to name a captain after Kiwi Brendon McCullum stepped down from the job.

And South African batsman Morne van Wyk and Australian Brad Hodge believe with loads of experience behind his back, the veteran Bengal left-hander is the best man for the job. "I will be happy to play under Ganguly in the next IPL.He should become the KKR captain because he is quite a knowledgeable cricketer. From personal front, I had never played under him and would be happy to do that," said van Wyk, who had an impressive IPL debut for Knight Riders this year, scoring 167 runs from five outings.


Hodge, who was Knight Riders' top run-getter in IPL season II with 365 runs from 12 matches, opened with the South African and feels Ganguly's knowledge about Indian conditions and players will hold him in good stead for the top job.

"Ganguly would be a good choice for the post of skipper. He is well informed about conditions and pitches in India and knows a number of local players very well," said Hodge, who is here to play for Victoria Bushrangers in the inaugural Champions League T20 tournament.

-->Interestingly, both van Wyk and Hodge sounded excitement about the possibility of engaging former Pakistan great Wasim Akram as the bowling consultant of Knight Riders.

Appointing Akram would surely be a good move as he is one of the best bowlers in the world," Hodge said. "If he joins KKR, I expect Ganguly and Akram would drive the team in the right direction next year but the final decision rests on KKR management," added van Wyk.

Hodge, meanwhile, wants to leave behind the last two editions' failure and hopes the team will will be a force to reckon with next year.

"We lost too many matches in the initial stage in South Africa, some of them were very close. The idea of giving McCullum captaincy also did not click. But I am confident of the team's good showing next year," said the right-handed batsman.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

WHY DADA HAS STRIKE RATE OF 73.70 IN ODI'S??

☛ SOURAV :THE BEST INDIAN IN ICC EVENTS ☚


Matches Innings Runs Average 50/100 :

Sachin Tendulkar: 52(m) 49(i) 2237(r) 45.65(avg) 14 /5


Sourav Ganguly : 34(m) 27(i) 1671(r) 61.88(avg) 6 /7


Rahul Dravid : 41(m) 36(i) 1487(r) 41.30(avg) 12 /2



SOURCES :

http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?id=44;type=trophy

http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?id=12;type=trophy

Thank you cricinfo

---------------------------------------

Here we can see dada's average is way ahead of other two Indian stalwarts.....

-->He has always performed in big matches & in big tournaments.....

-->During his captaincy India played four icc tournament out of which India reached in finals for three times that's something amazing.....

-->He has always come up and batted like a champian in big tournaments.....

-->Overall DADA scored 7 centuries in those major events which is unachieavable by any other indian batsman....

-->It includes World cups & ICC champians tophy [ ICC knock out cup (2000) & Mini World cup (1998)] matches..

--------------------------
DADA - WE MISS YOU !!!
-------------------------

McCullum: Am sure relationship with Sourav will remain strong


DATE :OCTOBER 3/2009


Johannesburg: Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand vice-captain, is among the most exciting of batsmen in limited overs cricket --- be it the 50-over game or in T20.

McCullum (28), who is on the rolls of the Kolkata Knight Riders, spoke to The Telegraph on Friday, after a truly exhausting training session at the Wanderers.

The following are excerpts

Q To start with the Knights... Are you available for the 2010 IPL?

A (Grins) There’s still some water to go under the bridge... At this stage, because of Australia’s tour of New Zealand, I’m definitely not available for the entire edition... Let’s see what happens between now and next March... Eventually, one could be available for around 60 per cent of the 2010 IPL.

Five months on, how do you look back on this year’s IPL, where the Knights finished last?

We had high hopes, but the way we went was disappointing... Hopefully, we’ll learn from our mistakes and become better and stronger... We’ll be drawing inspiration from the Deccan Chargers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who finished one and two after being at the bottom in 2008... The way I see it (in T20), if you’re on a winning run, then that gets maintained... If you’re on a losing streak, that stays, too... I’d wanted, as always, to make an impact, but that didn’t happen.

John Buchanan chose you to be the captain this year... Now that he’s out of the franchise, do you expect uncomfortable moments in the dressing room?

I don’t think so... I hope not... Everybody involved with the Knights is very much committed... There’ll be a new coach and I do expect a different environment... There’ll be different challenges and I’m confident everybody will work in the best interest of the franchise.

Sourav Ganguly, whom you replaced at the helm, is expected to be back as the captain. How would that work out?

I’m not sure who’ll be the captain, but if it’s Sourav, then he and I share a good relationship... I’m sure this relationship will remain strong.

You’re the New Zealand vice-captain and have already captained a few matches in a stand-in capacity. Did leading the Knights give you a better insight into captaincy?

Look, one will learn by captaining a team with such a huge following and by leading it in such a huge environment as the IPL... Down the track, I’m sure the lessons I’ve learnt will come in handy.

The captaincy, though, changed your game... We didn’t see the free-flowing McCullum...

The way we were playing, the pressure we put ourselves under... Those things contributed... I did play a bit more aggressively later, but I did have to mould my game differently early on.

Has the captaincy experience, both with the Knights and in a stand-in capacity for New Zealand, whetted your appetite for the job?

(Grins) At the moment, my job is to score runs and take catches... Play my role as New Zealand’s vice-captain... I like making an impact and my job is to help the team become more consistent... Of course, if I’m found worthy, it would be great to captain New Zealand.

You’re the aggressive type and that, surely, is your USP...

I like being positive, like getting on to the front foot... I enjoy playing the aggressive brand of cricket. But, then, there could be times when the team’s requirement is different. I have to adjust then.

Your blazing 158 not out in the 2008 IPL opener, in Bangalore, caught everybody’s imagination. Have you, since, grown as a cricketer?

I’d like to think so... Every experience tends to make you a better cricketer and it would be nice to always have a performance up on the board... I took a lot of positives from that one innings.

Given the pressure on today’s cricketers, how do you handle it?

I don’t think there are that many jobs which could be done with as much fun... Pressure, really, is part and parcel of the game... At times, it gets tough and you’ve got to think beyond yourself, but one accepts it.

The last one: What are your thoughts on the eve of the semi-finals (against Pakistan) here and when looking to the rest of the season?

Oh, I’m pretty excited... I’ve made a few contributions in this Champions Trophy and it would be satisfying to win the tournament... There’s a lot of cricket ahead... I’ll be looking to maintain the form I’m in. (After a pause) Once the Champions Trophy ends, I’ll be in India for the Champions League and it would be nice to do well for the Otago Volts.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Sourav to question Shahrukh !!!

Date : 10/02/09
Sourav Ganguly’s most popular quiz show, ‘Dadagiri’ will be now on Zee TV. The first episode of the Hindi version will feature Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee. The show became so popular in Zee Bangla that Zee TV has decided to make a Hindi version of the quiz show. It has also been decided that Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee will be the first celebrity guests.

Says a source from Kolkata, "Sourav's show Dadagiri is one of the most popular shows in Bengal. The show has become so popular in such a short time that the producers now want to make it national. And in Hindi! The channel is currently in talks with Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji to come on the opening episode when it goes national.

Apart from Shah Rukh's association with Zee and Subhash Chandra Goel he's keen to come on the show for appearance's sake - that relations between him and Sourav are not strained after the IPL but are absolutely rocking!"

A source from the channel says, "The channel and SRK are in talks. Negotiations are on."

Sujoy Shetty, Business Head from Zee Bangla, says, "I can't tell you anything about Shah Rukh and Rani coming on Dadagiri right now.

However, I can say that Dadagiri is doing extremely well. We have had a record 1.5 lakh SMSes in four weeks, which is huge. As far as going national is concerned, we can't do that before January; that's when the Bengali version ends. If there's a national show of Dadagiri with Sourav hosting it, it will only come after January."

However, no more details of the show are known.

Flashback Oct 1, 1999: Start of Ganguly's golden run in ODIs


This day, ten years back Sourav Ganguly scored a hundred against the Zimbabweans in the LG Cup in Nairobi. The innings of 139 runs was a watershed one; as the elegant and explosive left hander went on to score nine hundreds within the space of just 37 ODIs.

It was the sixth game in the LG Cup and Zimbabwe after winning the toss asked India to bat first. Openers S Ramesh and Sourav Ganguly took the field, and gave India a steady start. The Zimbabwe bowling attack was not lethal but had decent bowlers like Neil Johnson and Henry Olonga.

Ganguly was soon off the blocks and scored freely on his favourite off side. The opening partnership added 70 runs before Ramesh fell for 31. Ganguly kept the pressure on at the other end and continued to prosper at the crease. he reached his fifty in 73 balls. Robin Singh walked in at number three and both the batsmen combined to produce the highest partnership of the game, a total of 107 runs.

With five overs remaining in the game, Ganguly started to explode and dished out boundaries at will. Very soon his 100 came up in 125 balls. The lefty added 39 more runs to his score before he was dismissed by Henry Olonga.

153* vs New Zealand in Gwalior on 11 Nov 1999
100 vs Australia in Melboure on 12 Jan 2000
141 vs Pakistan in Adelaide on 25 Jan 2000
105* vs South Africa in Jamshedpur on 12 March 2000
135* vs Bangladesh in Dhaka on 30 May 2000
141* vs South Africa in Nairobi on 13 Oct 2000
144 vs Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad on 5 Dec 2000
127 vs South Africa in Johannesburg on 5 Oct 2001
111 vs Kenya in Paarl on 24 Oct 2001


Source: India Syndicate

Reborn, Sourav the puja dancer !!


Kolkata(1/10/09): Sourav Ganguly recreated his old magic of elegant timing and nifty footwork though off-the field when he played 'dhak' (drum) and danced during immersion of the Durga idol near his residence at Behala on Wednesday.

There was no bat and ball but the southpaw enthralled the crowd who had turned out in huge numbers to see Ganguly on a different pitch at the Barisha Players Corner.

Clad in a violet colour kurta, Ganguly danced with the members of the club like a commoner as the crowd went on clicking photos.

To give him company was elder brother Snehashish Ganguly who too was seen playing drum.

Ganguly will attend the Kolkata Knight Riders camp to be held in Gurgaon from Thursday.

Pakistan great Wasim Akram is expected to join the camp to give Knight Riders some tips about bowling.

KKR is yet to announce the name of their captain and coach for IPL III...

WHY SOURAV IS THE BEST EVER CAPTAIN???


Captain is born not made. Leadership is your trait –in your genre. Either you have it or you don't have. There is no in between. Sourav like England's Mike Brearley or Nasser Hussain can be in the team just because of his leadership qualities. Unlike Brearley, whose Test batting averagewas under 23 or Hussain whose Test average was 37, Sourav's average is nearly 41. In the 2003-04 series against Australia, Sourav's century at Brisbane set the tone for one of the best performance by India in an away series. it is beyond doubt that he has brought the killer instinctto the Indian team that was sorely lacking..

No wonder every Indian skipper goes through a bad phase. Azharuddin being a prime example .same goes for Dravid. Generally when he leads India, his batting nosedives. Consider this. In Tests, as a player he averages 60.46, as a skipper his average 17.25.

In one-dayers, as a player he averages 40.22, as a skipper 29.22. It's no different abroad. Take for example Michael Vaughan, England's highly successful skipper, as a player in Test his average is 50.98, as a captain it is down to 35.94, lower than even Ganguly's 37.03. All batsmen go through bad patches. Even Rahul Dravid has gone through this phase. In 1999-00 during a 13-month period he went through 16 innings without a fifty.

Sourav is an expert in "Man Management". Words such as 'Groups' and 'Camps' have vanished from the Indian dressing room. That is why we saw the name "Team India" because in Ganguly's era there is no in-fighting. The other great asset of Sourav is that he has risen over parochial interests and backed players on their talent. That is indeed revolutionary when compared to the policies of the past skippers who made it open secret in picking their favourites. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, from Jharkhand, Kaif from Uttar Pradesh, but they are all equal in Ganguly's eye. The only thing he believes in is talent.

Yuvraj Singh, Kaif, Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Sanjay Bangar, Murali Kartik, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Parthiv Patel, Zaheer Khan, Dinesh Kartik, Dhoni, Balaji, Nehra all have done India proud because Sourav have backed them through thick and thin. Even Players like Srinath gave his best while coming back to limited overs cricket under Sourav Ganguly.

• Sourav has won six Test matches away from home, a huge improvement over any other skipper

Sourav as Captain for Team India :

•There is no debate over the very fact that Sourav has rechristened Indian cricket in last five years—2000 to 2005. Indians have never had a captain who has looked at the opposition in the eye and forced them on the backfoot even before a ball is bowled.Azhar, Sachin, Srikkanth, Kapil and Gavaskar did not have the sort of aggression which Sourav does! As a player and a captain he has given a new looked Men-in-Blue, a blend of youth and experience. This team proved its merit as it raced to the finals of the World Cup 2003.

•He has never shied away from responsibilities and always stood up for his boys. Perhaps for the first time Indian cricket got a captain whorose above petty parochial regionalism and fought with BCCI to select the best talents available in the country. Few promising youngsterslike Juvraj ,Harvajan ,Pathan , Dhoni or player like Sehwag –all are mentored during the tenure of Sourav . Below statistics vividly manifests the very fact that he is always a big tournament player and big challenge motivates him immensely. He literally brandised Indian cricket with the help of his Men -in -Blue. Let’s analyse his performance as captain..

•Out of 49 test matches where Sourav played the role of Chieftain, 21 Victories by any standard (almost 43% win) is a glorious feat! Out of which in seven cases win by an innings (33% of all win --- that means out of 3 wins, one will be always by an innings!) quite impressive and comprehending victory over opponents. Statistics again reveal that Ganguly was keener on chasing the target to victory. Vis a vis other players, captaincy did not hamper Sourav’s batting average much(down from 40 to 37 range ).A very interesting fact is whenever India own the match,Ganguly played a very key role in the side to victory. His near about 50 batting average in those 21 matches ( where India won the test under his stewardship) clearly points out that Ganguly was very much instrumental in team success and led the side from the front in victory. All through these victories, Ganguly contribution as captain in batting was phenomenal. In those 7 innings victories, his batting average is astounding 72.42 .even in those 11 matches where, India won by chasing target , Sorav’s contribution is healthy 42.57 !

•Nevertheless such a lead-from-the-front approach, the critics still keep on making Noise! We really appreciate their audacity and no-cricket-sense stance!Sourav in test definitely did well in away tests in opponent soil! There is lot of hue and cry made by his critics that he can’t play fast bowler well. For them his performance as a captain against Aussies (batting average 47.33), England (58.50) and west Indies (53.66) is enough to shut their mouth!

We know that those three teams have more formidable fast bowlers than spinners.
Right?


•The performance in one day is also comparable like test. Here also the same out of 147 matches where he led team India, in 76 matches India won and in those matches Sourav’s average 51.37, only re strengthen the very fact Sourav Ganguly can easily claim the lions share as batsman and captain in team’s success .His performance is quite magnificent in world cup and ICC championship where his average is resounding 58.12 and flabbergasting 83! I think after all these statistics there should not be any further argument over the fact –who is real mentor of Team India. As captain and as a batsman – it is Sourav Ganguly –“The Prince of Calcutta”.

☛DADA - THE BEST INDIAN SKIPPER EVER MADE☚

Thursday, October 1, 2009

How sachin is the king when situation is easy and fails when tough time prevails and DADA is reverse???

For an overseas batsman, runs scored in Australia often means more than runs scored anywhere else. Apart from the relatively bouncy pitches, the batsmen also have to overcome the challenges posed by the most potent bowling attack in world cricket, and one of the meanest fielding units around.

Even in Australia, though, some venues have been more hospitable to overseas batsmen than others. Adelaide, for instance, has almost always produced a flat pitch - thanks to Les Burdett, their curator - with little assistance to the bowlers. Sydney, meanwhile, has often helped spinners more than the fast bowlers. At both these venues, the bounce and seam movement has been less pronounced, allowing batsmen from outside Australia to feel more at home with conditions and get among the runs.

At the other three regular Test venues, though, the story has been entirely different. "Brisbane has mostly helped the fast bowlers, and often hosts the first Test of a series, leaving overseas batsmen with little time to adjust to the Australian conditions. Melbourne has been quite bowler-friendly as well, while the trampoline-like bounce in Perth has often been far too much for the batsmen to get on top of. The best bet for most batsmen has been to make extra runs in Sydney and Adelaide, so that the overall numbers still look good after the damage from the other three venues".

The table below checks out the numbers for overseas top-order batsmen (Nos. 1-7) since 1990, and the difference in numbers between the two sets of numbers is stark: batsmen score 26% more runs per dismissal in Sydney and Adelaide than in the other three grounds.

Overseas top-order batsmen in Australia since 1990 :

VENUES : TESTS RUNS AVERAGE 100s/50/s

ADELAIDE AND SYDNEY : 40 17,660 35.67 34/ 81
Brisbane, Melbourne & Perth : 55 19,958 28.30 28/ 108


The table below lists out the batsmen with the highest difference in averages between the two sets of venues (at least four innings at each set of venues). The two England captains lead the way: Paul Collingwood averages more than 90 in Adelaide and Sydney and less than 27 in the other three grounds, while Michael Vaughan isn't far behind. However, Vaughan and Sachin Tendulkar, the next batsman in the list, have done reasonably well in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth - the high difference in average is largely due to their exceptional records in Sydney and Adelaide.

That argument doesn't hold for Brian Lara, though. He has a superb record in Sydney and Adelaide, with five 50-plus scores - including two double-centuries - in 15 innings. His stats in the other three venues are dismal: in 18 innings there, he has been dismissed without scoring four times.

The difference is almost as much for two former opening batsmen. Michael Atherton averaged more than 50 when batting on the true pitches of Sydney and Adelaide, but it dropped to less than a third of that figure when the conditions got tougher - his highest from 18 innings in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth was 54. It was a similar struggle for Gary Kirsten, whose average dropped from 52.63 to 23.80.

A few Things came to my notice which made my belief that ,DADA is A much Better Test Batsman Than his credentials Show,MuCH more Stronger.

I will key it in 2 set of stats :
(plz click these two pics and view it for clear focus) :





Not too many batsmen fall into the next category, but there have been a few overseas players who have flourished in conditions that most have found too difficult to conquer. The list is headed by an unlikely candidate: Mark Ramprakash managed an average of just 36.50 in Adelaide and Sydney, but he was consistency personified in the three tougher venues, with four 40-plus scores in eight innings. Sourav Ganguly has often been pulled up for his problems against pace and bounce, but surprisingly, he has done much better in Brisbane and Melbourne than in Sydney and Adelaide.

Two of the most consistent batsmen across all venues in Australia have been Jacques Kallis and Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen scored runs at almost every venue on England's tour in 2006-07, but Kallis' achievement is even more creditable, since his runs have come over three different series: he averages almost 50 in Sydney and Adelaide, and only marginally lesser in the other three venues.

courtesy : s.rajesh(stats editor of cricinfo)

FRM THE ABOVE STATS, ITZ CLEARLY SHOWN THAT GREATS LIKE SACHIN ,LARA AND ELSE PLAYED WELL IN ONLY SOFT CORNERS LIKE ADELAIDE AND SYDNEY and not in tougher venues like brisbane,melbourne and perth.. BUT ITZ MY SOURAV GANGULY HAS DONE MUCH BETTER IN THOSE TOUGHER VENUES THAN SACHIN AND LARA.....

~~~HOPE ALL WILL REALISE THE CLASS OF DADA IN TESTS TOO~~~

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