Ganguly praises cool headed Gambhir

Adding to the list of admirers of Gautam Gambhir, India's most consistent batsman in recent times, is ex-captain Sourav Ganguly.Ganguly is impressed by the temperament of the Delhi dasher.Gambhir completed his 3000 runs in One-day cricket on Thursday en route to his unbeaten 150 in the fourth match, which helped India seal the five-match series."Gambhir has been improving a lot. Gambhir is a cool headed guy. He has been scoring runs and he is getting them consistently," Ganguly said.Gambhir, Kohli seal series for India

Watching the India-Sri Lanka day night proceedings with wife Dona and daughter Sana from at Eden Gardens, for Ganguly it was for the first time after his international retirement that India played at his home venue.

Asked whether he missed the on-field action, Ganguly said, "Not at all. I am enjoying my life."

A charismatic leader during his time, Ganguly said his retirement decision was correct as the battle of making a comeback and getting dropped again and again was becoming tough.

"It was getting enough. Making a comeback everytime after getting dropped. How many more times would I have fought to make my way into the side? This battle was getting tough."There is a limit to it," he said.

Ganguly also felt that dew played a role in Sri Lanka's defeat, saying," The balls skid as it becomes difficult for bowlers to control the ball. I knew it would be easier to bat second.

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Sachin and Sourav shower praise on each other

Date: December 22, 2009

Kolkata, Dec 22 (IANS) : Having partnered each other for years on the 22-yard strip to give flying starts to the Indian batting, cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly Tuesday expressed their mutual admiration and respect at a function here Tuesday. While Ganguly said playing with Tendulkar was a huge pleasure, the Mumbaikar returned the compliment by describing as ‘tremendous’ the contribution of the ‘prince of Kolkata’ to the Indian team and the game.

“You are a champion and you shall always be one,” Ganguly said.


“It was wonderful to have him in the team. I enjoyed playing cricket with Sourav. I saw him grow as a cricketer and person,” replied Tendulkar, who was accorded a grand felicitation at a glittering function in a city five-star hotel for completing 20 years in top-flight cricket.'"


Both recalled their first meeting at an under-15 national camp at Indore. “Sachin was then 13. Since then I had a long journey with him,” said Ganguly.


“We spent months in the dormitories there. We played lots of pranks and had a wonderful time,” Tendulkar added.


Speaking about his opening stands with the master blaster, Ganguly said: “These were the moments of my career I always cherish. My batting with him in one-day internationals at the top was a huge learning experience”.


“We had terrific partnerships. There were tough moments too in the middle, when we discussed how and what to do to get out of the tight situations,” said Tendulkar.


Ganguly said Tendulkar became adorable to the fans for the way he played his cricket, batted, behaved, and carried himself for the last 20 years.


“I don’t know where there are some young Bengal cricketers here. It is very difficult to emulate what this man has achieved, and the talent that he possesses. We need to follow him the way he has carried himself for the last 20 years,” Ganguly said.


“He has his feet on the ground. Playing cricket is the first and last thing for him. After playing at the top level for 13-14 years, you realise how tough it is. And then you realise how long is 20 years,” said Ganguly, rated as the most successful Indian captain.


In contrast, Tendulkar’s captaincy record may not be that great, but to Ganguly he is the best captain he played under. “For me, he is the best captain. I returned to the Indian team after four long years in 1996 (when Mohammed Azharuddin was the skipper). My career blossomed under Sachin. To get a captain who supported your ability…(he) was a captain I needed at that time.”


The left-hander said: “Age has never been a barrier in India. Sachin has got a world cup to play in 2011. It’s a lesson for younger players to see him in action”.

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Sachin is the king, but Sourav scores in city

Date: December 22, 2009

Calcutta: Sachin Tendulkar rules the world of cricket, but Sourav Ganguly is still king in these parts. Indeed, a bat autographed by Sourav fetched the highest bid (Rs 1,50,000) amongst all the individual items up for auction at Vaani’s fund-raiser late on Tuesday. A pair of gloves worn by Sachin, during the recent series against Australia and in the on-going face-offs versus Sri Lanka, made the Deaf Children’s Foundation richer by Rs 1,10,000. The No.1 spot went to a bat to be signed by the Indian and Sri Lankan teams, which was picked up for Rs 2,00,000.

It should have gone for much more, though. Sachin, Sourav and stand-in Team India captain Virender Sehwag (a T-shirt of his raised Rs 1,20,000) held the maximum attention during the event at Taj Bengal. A number of Indian and Sri Lankan players turned up, with the in-form Tillekaratne Dilshan doing his bit by parting with the T-shirt he’d been wearing, thanks to a nudge from Arun Lal. It got Vaani Rs 1,00,000.

Lal was, of course, ready with a replacement and, so, Dilshan didn’t really turn red in the face on the stage. The cause proved a big winner, with Vaani collecting Rs 8,60,000 from the auction alone. It included Rs 50,000 for the Babolat racquet used by Leander Paes during his doubles win (with Lukas Dlouhy) at this year’s US Open.

Incidentally, Harbhajan Singh was one of the bidders, but he went no further than Rs 80,000 for Sourav’s bat. The initial interest was, perhaps, one way of showing respect to the captain who revived his career, in early 2001. Harbhajan’s own T-shirt went for Rs 60,000, which was Rs 10,000 less than what Gautam Gambhir’s gloves fetched. With the teams’ baggage delayed, most of the items were auctioned in absentia, so to say. Not that anybody minded.

The Big Three spoke a bit about fatherhood and, well, a bit about cricket. Sachin, for example, revealed that being a father had taught him to be patient, something which comes in handy in Test cricket. He added: “I have, in the past 20 years (of international cricket), learnt to give direction to my life… I’ve learnt a lot both as a cricketer and as a person.”

Earlier, Sachin told The Telegraph: “This is a special place and I’ve always enjoyed playing at the Eden… We haven’t played here for two years (not since the Test against Pakistan) and it’s wonderful to be back in Calcutta…” Referring to wife Dona and daughter Sana, Sourav quipped: “When you have two women in the house, you just shut up!” A tad more seriously, India’s most successful Test captain asked Sehwag to show the lesser mortals how to “defend.” Why? “Because it seems we come from a different planet,” is how Sourav put it.

A huge compliment from somebody who, during a phase in his career, gave stroke-making on the off a new meaning. Sehwag, who grew up idolising Sachin, saluted his icon. “Comparisons are made, but I’m not even a quarter of Sachin… I’m trying to come close to him …”

Two days away from the next ODI, versus Sri Lanka, he said: “The Eden Gardens is a great venue to play at… We’ve done well in the past… Hopefully, we’ll do well this time as well.”

Sehwag knows that’s one sentiment shared by a good many

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My career prospered under Tendulkar's captaincy : DADA

Date: December 22, 2009

KOLKATA: Sachin Tendulkar may not have been a huge success as India captain but many a young career bloomed under his leadership, said former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.

"When I was trying to find my feet in international cricket, it was a huge learning experience to play under Tendulkar. He had given a lot of support as a player and as a captain and my career blossomed under him," Ganguly said on the sidelines of a Tendulkar felicitation on Tuesday.

"It's not only me, I am sure the likes of (Rahul) Dravid, (VVS) Laxman and (Anil) Kumble would be thinking the same about Tendulkar," Ganguly said at the ceremony organised by the Aryan Club that celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Sachin turned out for the Aryans in the early 90s in the P Sen Trophy.

Recalling his association with Tendulkar, Ganguly said, "I know him since my under-13 days when we met at a national camp. It has been a long journey together. We had a very good time together at the top, opening the batting in ODIs.

"He has charmed the crowd not only with his bat but with his amazing behaviour. It's very difficult to emulate him what Sachin has achieved as a cricketer and the talent he possesses. But it will be really nice if we could emulate him the way he carries himself," Ganguly said.

Ganguly wished Tendulkar remained fit to achieve 100 international centuries and do well in the 2011World Cup.

"World Cup is coming and he is also close to 100 centuries. I wish he remains fit and bats the way he is doing. It's an example for the youngsters to follow," Ganguly said.

He also congratulated Sachin for his bit to make India the number one Test side.

"I remember when we used to tour overseas, were being levelled as very soft, not because of his batting but soft for our team's performance. I congratulate him on achieving the No 1 status and he is the biggest contributor to that," Ganguly said

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Mamata felicitates DADA & Sachin

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee felicitated Sachin Tendulkar on completing 20 years in international cricket at a function in Kolkata on Wednesday. The former Indian captain, Saurav Ganguly, was also given a lifetime achievement award. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were on Wednesday presented lifetime golden family passes by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for their achievement and contribution to Indian cricket.

Presenting the AC-first class passes, Ms. Banerjee congratulated the duo for their achievements in Indian as well as international cricket.

She hoped that Tendulkar would win many more laurels for the country.

The function was organised by Bhowanipore Club to felicitate its football team for reaching the first division.

Footballers were felicitated by Tendulkar on behalf of the club. He presented shawls to former Olympian footballer P K Banerjee, cricketers Shyam Sundar Mitra and P B Dutta.

The football team was given Rs 1.50 lakh on behalf of the club by Tendulkar.

In a brief speech, Tendulkar congratulated the football team which had won the league title for the last five years.

"It's a great achievement and it showed their sincerity, honesty and talent. I understand, next year is Bhowanipore Club's centenary. It would be befitting to the occasion if it

can win more laurels for the club," he said.

Tendulkar and Ganguly later jointly planted a mahogany sapling on the club lawn

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Win in Kolkata gave us the belief: Ganguly

New Delhi: One of the main architects of India's achievement of the number one Test spot has beenSourav Gangulyho was part of a generation of immensely talented players like Vvs & Dravid. The former India captain spoke to CNN-IBN about this proud moment and the turning point of Indian cricket.

Sourav Ganguly : It's great to see the Indian team as the number one team in the world. It's an achievement achieved by a lot of players over the five years. The current team deserves a lot of credit because they have taken the team from number two to the number one position. And congratulations to Dhoni and all the boys who have been part of the team since 2001.

CNN-IBN: It was a very troubled time for Indian cricket when you took over captaincy. India was trying to shrug off the allegations of match fixing. How difficult was it for you?

Sourav Ganguly : I was made captain of a very young side and I had some great players like Rahul (Dravid), Anil (Kumble), Sachin (Tendulkar) and VVS (Laxman) who were much younger at that stage and had already made a mark in international cricket. John Wright deserves a lot of credit for turning things around. Then we had players like Zaheer (Khan), (Virender) Sehwag and Harbhajan (Singh), who after nine years have become outstanding match-winners themselves.

CNN-IBN: India still have won 32 Tests abroad and 11 of them have been when you, Rahul, Sachin and Anil have played together. Does that give you a great sense of pride?

Sourav : We started our careers when we all got together. We wanted to make a change playing overseas and when I started a career in 1996, I could see in the body language of the foreign teams that they considered India as a soft team. It's good that the current bunch has done well consistently overseas.

CNN-IBN: What was the turning point of Indian cricket?

Sourav : I think the Test match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001, which we won turned things around. We went and won in Trinidad in the West Indies next year and then in England. We kept winning from thereon and also won ODIs overseas. So I think that (the Eden Gardens Test against Australia) gave us the belief that we could win.

Courtesy : CNN-IBN

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KKR may dump Ponting; Ganguly could open in IPL

Date : 12/18/09


KKR is unlikely to continue with its star batsman Ricky Ponting in the coming edition of the T20 carnival. The KKR management is planning to release the Australian batsman if his international calendar mismatches with KKR’s fixtures in IPL III. Meanwhile, KKR captain Sourav Ganguly is mulling over the idea of opening the batting in IPL’s coming edition.

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When Dada skipped classes and loved it !!!

Date : 12/17/09


“In school, my favourite day was the annual sports day not only because I loved sports but also because it gave us an opportunity to skip classes,” Sourav Ganguly told students of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy on Tuesday, but quickly added: “But you guys please don’t get any ideas,” tongue firmly in cheek.

The former Indian skipper joined the students for the school’s 14th Founders’ Day, arriving a bit late as he got busy rescuing Bengal against Delhi with an unbeaten ton.

“I am sorry for the little delay in reaching here. You see, there was a Ranji match and I was batting till the last over. I thank Ma’am principal for still allowing me to attend the event,” he said to peals of laughter, making light of his unbeaten 222-run partnership with Wriddhiman Saha.

Speaking about Kolkata Knight Riders, Ganguly hinted that the team might don a different jersey for IPL 3 as the colour black “has not suited our outfit”.
“We will not come last, I can promise you that as I have promised Shah Rukh. We will do everything required to do well this time. The colour black is clearly not suiting our outfit, so we will go for a change of shirt colour as well,” he said, replying to a student’s question.

The Prince of Calcutta told the youngsters that his days at St Xavier’s Collegiate School were “my best days. I used to kick football then, instead of playing cricket shots.”
And when it’s Dada, can Dadagiri be far behind? “How difficult was hosting Dadagiri Unlimited as you are accustomed to the cricket field?” asked another student.

“Dadagiri is much easier. I used to have 11 people trying to plot my dismissal on the field and here I found 30 people trying to assist me. In cricket, one mistake and it was a walk back with the bat tucked in my armpit but here there’s a director who says, ‘retake’,” smiled Ganguly.

He also commended the recent successes of Team India under MS Dhoni. “We are all baton holders in a relay race and it is satisfying to see India go from strength to strength.”

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Aamir khan visits Sourav Ganguly's House in Kolkata during his "Disguise Tour"

 Place: Kolkata, Date : 12/16/09

Breaking News! During the second phase of his "disguise tour", Aamir Khan

visited Bengal Tiger Sourav Ganguly's house in Kolkata and spent some time with him. Aamir took Sourav's address from the locals and took Dada by surprise. Aamir Khan is currently on a seven-city tour to promote his upcoming film, "3 Idiots", which will be released on December 25. Aamir is travelling across India in disguise. He first travelled to Varanasi and spent time at his mother's ancestral home. During his visit to Sourav Ganguly's house, Aamir was accompanied by his wife Kiran. He discussed Cricket and Bollywood with Sourav and saw his trophies and memorabilia. It is not known what will be Aamir Khan's next destination.

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We will have to play well tomorrow: Ganguly

Kolkata, Dec 15,2009 (PTI) : Having propped up Bengal with an unbeaten century, former India captain Sourav Ganguly said the job is not over yet and the hosts will have to pile up more runs tomorrow to brighten their chance of a win against Delhi in their Ranji Trophy Super League match.

After a top-order collapse that left Bengal reeling for 43 for four, Ganguly (110 batting) engaged himself with an undefeated 222-run fifth wicket partnership with Wriddhiman Saha (106 batting) as the hosts ended the day with 265 for four.

"It's job half-done, we have to play good cricket tomorrow. It was an important match for us and after the top-order failure, we needed some runs badly," Ganguly said.

He had high praises for Saha, who played a perfect ally to the ace left-hander and said, "The credit should also go to him.

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DADA SMASHED CENTURY AGAINST DELHI IN RANJI

Date : 12/15/09

• Former India captain Sourav Ganguly and Wriddhiman Saha hit unbeaten centuries to take Bengal out of the rut after a top order collapse against Delhi on the opening day in their Ranji Trophy Super League encounter at the Jadavpur University ground in Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Ganguly was unbeaten on 110 while wicketkeeper-batsman Saha gave him fine support at the other end, remaining not out on 106.
The duo shared an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 222, as Bengal finished the day with 265 for 4 ..Electing to bat in the last round Group B match, Bengal had a miserable first session, losing four wickets for 43, as Delhi medium-pacer Parvinder Awana scalped two.
But, from there on, Delhi's bowlers found the going tough as Ganguly shared a fluent partnership with Saha.


It was vintage Ganguly, as he hit two sixes and 11 boundaries in his unbeaten knock that came off 158 balls.


Saha was at his defiant best at the other end and played the perfect foil to Ganguly. He hit 16 boundaries in his 206-ball knock.


Earlier, Pradeep Sangwan gave Delhi the first breakthrough when Arindam Das (4) edged one to Puneet Bisht at team's score of 10.


Ishant Sharma evicted Rohan Banerjee (5) in similar fashion and Bengal were 12 for two in 7.2 overs.


Awana castled Dibyendu Chakraborty (18) and Manoj Tiwary (8) to have Bengal in trouble before the duo of Ganguly and Saha scripted a turnaround.


Delhi need at least three points (a first innings lead) to make the quarter-finals, while one point will suffice for Bengal to avoid a probable relegation threat.

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I am grateful to Ganguly : Sehwag

Indian batsman Virender Sehwag on Sunday expressed his gratitude to Sourav Ganguly, saying it was the former skipper who instilled confidence in him by giving him the opportunity to open the innings.

"I shall always be grateful to Sourav. He was the one who brought me up from middle-order to open the innings. He told me that if I don't perform as an opener then I will be shifted to the middle-order," Sehwag said, when asked about the turning point of his career.

The Delhi dasher cracked a blistering 293 in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka to help India win the match and wrap up the series 2-0 in Mumbai on Sunday.

Sehwag's 254-ball innings bagged him the man-of-the-match and the player of the series and helped India become the No 1 Test side in the world.

Sehwag, who has two triple centuries in his name, ranked his 293-run innings as his third best knock of his career.

"This will be the third best of my knocks. I wasn't thinking anything, my mind was very blank; I waited for a while. I just waited for the bad balls. In the dressing room they were saying I was hitting the good balls too but when you look at from my point of view, I was just hitting the bad balls!" he said.

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Dhoni great, but don't forget Ganguly: Srikkanth

Indiaabroad, Indo Asian News Service, 06 December 20:09:

New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS) P: Chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth Sunday hailed dhoni as one of the greatest Indian captains but also said the contributions of former skippers Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble should not be forgotten.

After India's sensational 2-0 Test series win over sri lanka here Sunday, Dhoni and his boys became the first Indian side to get the tag of No.1 Test team.

'Dhoni is a great captain. He also prefers to keep things simple and being uncomplicated has helped him as well. Best of luck to him and his team for becoming the No.1 Test team in the world,' said Srikkanth.

But Srikkanth also said that amid jubilation, one shouldn't forget the contributions of former captains like Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Kumble.

'They played important roles in moulding this team and we shouldn't forget their contributions as well. Sourav and Kumble may have retired from Test cricket, but the way they led the team overseas was commendable,' he said.

As per records, Ganguly is the most successful Indian Test captain while Kumble, who got a short stint before Dhoni took over, is remembered for holding the side together during the controversial 2007-08 series in Australia.

Anil did a great job before Dhoni took charge. And who can forget Sourav's leadership abilities in the memorable 2003-04 series in Australia' said Srikkanth.

Indian cricket board president Shashank Manohar also congratulated the Indian team for winning the series and topping the Test rankings.

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Sourav took very good decisions: Sachin

New Delhi, Sat, Dec 05 2009 :

India watches with bated breath when Sachin Tendulkar comes out to bat but one man prefers to go on a long drive just to avoid seeing him live in action. And that man happens to be the maestro's own elder brother Ajit with whom he discusses every aspect of the game. "He does not watch my matches. I have been told by friends that he goes on a long drive alone, where there is no radio, there is nothing, and he comes back only after the match is over," Tendulkar told News24 channel. "Later, a recording is pulled out and then he and I discuss where improvements can be made in my batting and what mistakes I committed.

All this discussion happens then," he said. "Because I speak to him every evening and on a daily basis we discuss what sort of preparation should be made for a match and what are the mistakes to be avoided, and this is a habit I have since school cricket and I still use this formula," he added.

Recalling his days of playing under Ganguly, Tendulkar said the Bengal batsman was spot on with most of the decisions he took during his tenure but maintained that a captain is only as good as the team. "I think a captain is successful when his team performs well. If a team gets out after 150-200 runs, even a good captain can't do anything. But when it comes to decision making I would say that Sourav took very good decisions," he said. "The results after his decisions were also good. So I think he has done a brilliant job for us. A time came in Indian cricket around the year 2001, when we started winning consistently outside India. It started a trend which was very good for Indian cricket and Sourav had played a big role in that," Tendulkar said.

Asked to compare Sourav Ganguly with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Tendulkar said the two have distinct ways of showing aggression with the former being a lot more expressive in his body language. "I think I don't like making comparisons. Every individual has his own identity. Every individual has an imagination. Both have different personalities. Dhoni is very calm and composed on the field but Sourav had a different body language from Dhoni," he said. "I think they are both aggressive but their style is different. They react differently to situations. So I don't like to compare. I have never compared people," he added.

The veteran right-hander, who completed 20 years in international cricket a few weeks ago, thanked his wife Anjali for supporting him at the expense of her own medical career. "I think my problem is that I am not expressive on the face. But she knows my style, what I want to say, what I am feeling, what I am thinking, she knows and she understands," Tendulkar said. Tendulkar also said he missed his late father immensely as he was a guiding force for him in every aspect of life. "I will always miss my father. I don't think anything in the world can replace him. I feel his absence acutely, especially during good and bad times in my life.

My father always guided me and was a source of strength to me. Though he refused to divulge any of the dressing room banter, the 36-year-old said the younger lot keep the atmosphere light with their pranks, which are at times targetted at him. "A newcomer may think twice because he may not know me well, but along with Yuvraj (Singh) and Harbhajan Singh they all join in the fun. It's not as if only one or two players make fun of others, all players poke fun at each other," he revealed.

Asked how he felt at being referred to as 'grandfather' by Yuvraj Singh during a press conference, Tendulkar said even he has a few nicknames for the left-hander. "I have many names for him too, which I cannot reveal in front of the TV camera. I warned him to think twice before calling me grandpa because I have many names to call him in front of the camera. But I am not revealing them now as I am giving him a chance after my warning," he said.

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