"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

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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.

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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

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♥ 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 ♥

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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

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I have some years of IPL to play - Sourav Ganguly

Kolkata: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said he wants to play in the Indian Premier League for a few more years before looking at other cricketing assignments.

"I (would) like to play for some more years in IPL. May be after four or five years, I will think about other option," Ganguly, who was initially unsold in the IPL auction but later played for Pune Warriors as a replacement player, said during an interaction with students.

The interaction was organised by the education fair "Eduquest" and Ganguly was asked if can be seen as a coach of the national team in near future.

Asked about his most memorable Test match, Ganguly said "My first Test at Lords was the best for creating overall impact on my career. God was kind and after that I was destined to play for many years."

"But in terms of quality the hundred in Australia was the best. 90 against South Africa at Kanpur was very good," the former India captain added.

Among all the bowlers he faced, Ganguly felt Australian paceman Glenn McGrath was the most difficult. Among the Indian bowlers he thinks both Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath were very good. India's most successful Test captain advised the students to overcome tension to be successful.

He mentioned one incident involving batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who before a Test match in Sydney during his early career remained awake almost the whole night as he was tense and was desperate to grab the chance.

At the same time the little master remained focused about the job to be done and achieved success, Ganguly said. He also urged the students to face the pressure and get over it.

And the best way to do it is to work hard. Hard work never goes in vain, he said adding that "some players like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are very talented. But I and players like Virender Sehwag had to work hard to succeed." He also told the students to have a positive approach.

"The day I went to bat thinking that my opponent bowlers won't be able to get me out, I did well and the day I thought that my rival bowler had a better swing or crafty I could not perform as expected," Ganguly explained.

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Success tips for students from Sourav

Preparation is Sourav Ganguly’s success mantra for students. “You have to prepare yourself for a game, an exam or any other form of test for a long time. Success may be delayed but hard work will pay off in some way,” said the former Indian captain in his talk on Sunday evening.

“One will always be on the edge while building a career. Some will succeed, some will not. The only way to improve your chance is by working hard.”

Sourav stressed the importance of making the most of one’s strengths.

“Try to turn your good days into your best days, because there will be bad days. A batsman once told me that every time he went past 50, he tried to convert it to 100 since there would be days when he would struggle to score. As a student, you will be judged on the basis of your aggregate score. So, if you are good in mathematics, try to score 95 or 97 in the subject. You may not be as good in other subjects.”

When a student asked him how he had prepared to make his second comeback into the national team, Sourav replied: “There will be such phases in everyone’s life. Just work hard. If someone notices you working hard, word will spread. Word of mouth works better than 10 posters.”

On being asked whether he was planning to share such tips with Team India players as their coach, Sourav said: “I have some years of IPL to play. I will decide on coaching after five years.”

Another student asked Sourav how he wanted to contribute to society. He replied: “The best way to do that is by teaching children. I have been trying to do that for a long time but have not been able to.” In an interaction with reporters before the talk, he had said that he was “hopeful” about starting his school.

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Sourav Ganguly To Host Bengali KBC

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who donned the role of a television commentary in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, will soon be seen in a new 'avatar' on the small screen. Siddharth and Anita Kaul Basu, the producers of KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati) are keen on roping in Sourav to host the Bengali version of the show. Sourav, it is learnt, is yet to give his nod as he has to reschedule a couple of his other assignments in order to accommodate the new assignment.

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Ganguly loses school plot after years of protests

The Supreme Court’s order Thursday setting aside the West Bengal government’s allotment of land to former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly for a school comes after years of protests, hunger strike and legal battle over the decision.

It all began in 2006, when the then Left Front government issued an advertisement that it wanted to give out around 50 'cottah' (a little less than an acre) of land in the posh satellite township of Salt Lake for setting up a school.

“We had then said that sports or cultural personalities would be preferred for the plot in the BF block of Salt Lake. Ganguly was one of the applicants. A committee led by the chief secretary then went through the applications and selected him,” Ashok Bhattacharya, then minister of urban development, told IANS.

However, a Delhi-based educational council said its rules stipulated at least one acre has to be earmarked for an affiliated school.

Ganguly then made a fresh application and he was asked to surrender the lease for the BF block plot.

“And then in 2008, he was given the around-63 cottah (a little more than one acre) plot at CA block of Salt Lake. He also had to pay an excess amount for the bigger plot,” said Bhattacharya.

The government did not put out any advertisement before granting the second plot to the cricketer, who formed a Ganguly Education and Welfare Society to start work on the Wissen International School.

However, some locals objected to the procedure adopted and protests began. There were street corner meetings, conventions and even hunger strikes.

“The land was earlier earmarked for an ICSE School . There were two schools on two sides of the plot. While one of them had 1,400 students on its rolls, the other had 1,100. So there was no need for any other school in the area,” said eminent painter Subhaprasanna, who was among the protesters then.

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Yuvi Comes in Support of Dada!!

Yuvraj Singh : Sourav Ganguly won us a game single handedly against DC , Well It's dificult to get in to the groove after a long gap of 5 months,it'll take some time !! Hopefully we'll give a better improved performance next season !!

Source : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQyhzGK-8sU

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Fairy tale of prince(Inspiration for every fan)

The rolling tears,bursted love and inspiring pride made me a proud fan of him.The day
i started admiring him, as a hero for my life and chapter of inspiration in my book
then my heart explored the new era of agression inside me.


Its a story of a prince who started to enjoy the royality of his glory(Game),All of a sudden a nightmare and gloomy clouds in his kingdom,when 'Gods' of the kingdom rushed
into the fort,and refused to lead the army to the battle.The prince took the lead as he gifted with the commitment to bleed till he gets the lead in the battle. As he took a look arround in his kingdom he just found a rusted sword and a broken shield and inexperienced army which can send shivering into the nerves for any leader when he enters the battle but th prince took the
challenge, he himself became godfather for the 'Gods'and brought them into battlefield and started fighting for the glory.

The battle proved the courage of the prince and each of his inexperienced soldiers turned into cold blooded fighters in the battle.The kingdom of the prince finally came back into them, but soon when prince took a look back to know
what had happened then he soon realised that he was no more prince but king of many hearts.Its the dawn of victory after the day of defeat as the army of the prince took a forward step to conquer the world.Every battle left the mark of the prince as a true leader for the army.The army was left with the deadly opponents 'final'ly with bunch of 'experienced' monsters, the untouchables of the world,and
the supremes of the battle who even got shivered watching the army of the prince.But the army of the finally accepted the defeat at the end of a victorious day to that bunch of monsters and the monsters blessed the prince as the best leader to play against.

The art of journey is so strange that when time starts running you cant experience the journey but all you can do is to move on and just look back and stare at the past.The army,love,battle and kingdom after 8 long years celebrating the historical win,each and every person in the kingdom feeling the glory of their army and kingdom but only some of them felt a missing shadow. As the celebrations reached the sky every one is watching the sky and pride in the stars but only some are watching down to earth searching for some rust in the soil who were asked by the others what they are searching for.The answer is simple,"watch my eyes you can see it",as tears started flooded from the eyes.

Only hearts of heaven felt the prince, the hero in the tears who was reason for survival of the kingdom and passive reason for the historical win.Soon the heavenly hearts closed the eyes and made a wish to watch the prince in the streets of glory enjoying the historical win,but demons cursed the kingdom as the prince stood in a slum and darkest part of the kingdom with his hands folded back,his eyes shining and pride in his throat feeling the historical win.The cursed kingdom asked the prince,"you brought the glory in the army which was suffering from nightmares in the past.Its my turn now,bring the enlightenment to this kingdom so that no other hero will face the situations and humilations you faced, please dont giveup".

Then the prince took the past humilations down his throat,gave a killer smile and answered "Its always easy to giveup all you have to say is 'I QUIT' but the harder part is to carryon,I love to fight the toughest"and walked into the darkness fighting for the light and glory in his kingdom.

Courtesy : Varun

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Difficult to keep gritty Dada down - Jyoth Kohli

Who says Sourav Ganguly has fans only in Kolkata? This man can pull a hugecrowd even for an inconsequential match played on a Tuesday afternoon. I went to the stadium to catch Dada in action during the Deccan Chargers vs Pune Warriors game in Hyderabad on Tuesday. A few minutes into the match, I realised there were many like me. Dada was cheered for everything he did, even a mis-field. The crowd gave him a warm welcome and he didn’t disappoint with the bat. There was a huge cheer when he got off-the-mark. When he slashed Ishant over cover for his first boundary, I saw people around me jumping and giving giving high-fives to each other. This man is still loved by everyone. It’s been an emotional ride for Ganguly and his fans. Just when everyone thought he was finished, the old man is back. Some hate him, some love him and some are crazy about him. But surely everyone admires his passion for the sport and his fighting spirit. There’s just something special about this man. He may not be the best batsman, but inspires me when I’m down. As he once said, “It’s always easy to give up. All you need to say is — I quit... but the harder part is to carry on.”

Courtesy : Jyoth Kohli

-- Fans Corner --

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Sourav fan tried the same feat in Australia

HYDERABAD: Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly might not have recognised Nitin Joshi, who breached the security and tried to touch his feet at the Uppal stadium on Tuesday.

But Cyberabad police during their investigation came to know that Nitin Joshi had carried out a similar ‘feat’ in Australia, when Dada was batting a few years ago.

Nitin Joshi, who himself was a club cricketer in Australia, is an ardent Sourav fan. When the Indian team was playing Down Under, Nitin had run up to Sourav and had a quick glance of Dada before being whisked away. “It seems in Australia, spectators who indulge in unruly behaviour by running on the field to meet players, are let off scot-free after paying a fine. Nitin indulges in such acts with the sole aim of getting close to his favourite star,’’ Uppal inspector R Satyanarayana Raju told City Express.

When he tired to do a similar thing at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium, he achieved his mission of meeting Dada, but at a cost. The shocked security personnel not only whisked him away but later thrashed him. Nitin came to the stadium along with his friend Rubin Banerjee to watch the match between Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors.

“They were sitting in a gallery, tickets of which cost `15,000 each. For this class, organisers of the match were providing liquor. So Nitin and Rubin drank like there was no tomorrow,” police said.

In an inebriated condition, Nitin decided to repeat his act in Australia but his friend Rubin warned him against the misadventure. But Nitin defied Rubin’s words and ran on to the playing field when the match had come to a small halt after Christian, the Chargers bowler was being attended after he threw up.

“Actually Nitin succeeded in his feat since he was wearing a blue T-shirt, which is the colour of ground staff’s dress. When Nitin came near the boundary, securitymen thought he was part of the ground staff. But suddenly he started running towards the pitch and then the security personnel realised it to be unruly behaviour of a fan,’’ Satyanarayana Raju said. However, no cases were registered against him since police felt Nitin had no ill intention. Nitin hails from a respectable business family who reside in Basheerbagh.

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Ardent Sourav fan creates flutter at Uppal

HYDERABAD: In a major security breach, an ardent fan of former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly managed to sneak into the cricket ground on Tuesday, when Pune Warriors were chasing the target against Deccan Chargers in the IPL match played at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.

The youth managed to reach the middle of the pitch and tried to touch the feet of Ganguly and it took security personnel some time before they could react and pull away the fan. Taken aback, the policemen thrashed the youngster and whisked him away. The youngster was reportedly in a highly inebriated condition. According to police, the youngster managed to jump over the barricades and enter the pitch.

The incident took place during the 12th over of the second innings when the Charger’s bowler Christian was bowling, and Ganguly and Robin Uthappa of the Warriors were at the crease. After bowling two balls, Christian suddenly threw up and the team staff had to enter the field to attend him.

“The youngster, clad in a blue T-shirt, managed to mingle with the ground staff, who were also wearing blue and managed to go near the players who had gathered near the pitch to have some refreshments while Christian was being attended to,” a police officer said.

The youngster went near the players and tried to touch the feet of Ganguly even as the latter tried to avoid him. The on-field umpire, Ameesh Saheeba also tried to stop the intruder, an eye witness told Express. “It was difficult to notice the intruder in the field as Pune Warriors were also wearing the same colour jersey.

He was trying to touch the feet of Ganguly and there was commotion on the ground. But police were slow to react and entered only after five minutes,” the eye witness said.

Plainclothes policemen rushed to the pitch and grabbed the youngster, thrashed him and whisked away even as two of his friends, pleaded with the security personnel to spare their friend. “The youngster seems to be an ardent fan of Ganguly. Even after being beaten by police, he still wanted to meet his favourite cricketer,’’ a police officer said.


Surprisingly, the highly ‘spirited’ fan managed to pass through a series of security checks into the stadium.

The youth was later identified as Nitin Joshi from Basheerbagh, who is pursuing hotel management course in Australia.

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My family helps me deal with pressure: Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly is no stranger to comebacks. The southpaw shows what he is capable of when the chips are down. So it is with quite a bit of confidence that he is coming back to IPL 4 to play for Pune Warriors after he remained unsold in the players' auction.

However, that does not mean people have lost faith in him. His wife Dona and teammate Yuvraj Singh have strong belief in his abilities. We caught up with him...

How are you feeling about being back?

It's a joyous moment. Cricket is not a game for me. It's my first love for which I am always passionate. I am extremely happy to be back.

You are in the team, but did not play the initial matches. What's the reason behind that?

I'll be playing the remaining matches. It takes time to get into the groove and adjust. I'm done with necessary conditioning and you'll soon see me playing. Every player needs some time for preparation, that's what I was doing.

The fans are eagerly waiting to see Dada giving a tough time to the bowlers...

(Smiles) Please do tell them they will not have to wait for too long.

Your wife (Dona) recently said you always wanted to play in the IPL...

That's nice of her. My family has been very supportive. They have never let me feel bogged down. It's because of them that I've perfected the art of dealing with pressure.

How did you feel after the players' auction? You were not picked by KKR.

I have nothing to say. I don't hold grudges against anyone. And that's all I want to say.

You have certainly experienced a lot. How will you narrate your journey?

Life is not easy. Struggles will always be there, but then sitting back and thinking about the past doesn't work. Rather, we should set new parameters and work to achieve the goal.

Yuvraj is quite excited to have you back on the squad. How do you feel about that?

That's nice to hear. He's a player with tremendous potential and it's good to be playing in the team that he is leading (smiles).

What's on your mind?

Nothing at all. I just want to go out and prove myself. The strategies in the crisp format of T20 tend to be rather different. I am just going to play my natural game.

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Why Ganguly is the eighth wonder of Indian cricket !?

Sometimes fairytales come true. In the case of Sourav Ganguly, it almost always does. Playing for Pune Warriors India in his debut IPL 4 game on Tuesday, the former India captain showed once again why he would always be the prince of hearts for his fans.

On the face of it, an unbeaten innings of 32 runs off 32 balls can be dismissed as anything but special. Ten out of those 32 runs happened due to errors -- a miscued pull that fell in no man's land and went for two, a Dale Steyn fielding mistake that got him a boundary and a French cut off the South African paceman that fetched him four.

Only two shots -- the smashing drive over extra-cover off a 143.2 km fast delivery against Ishant Sharma and a six over mid-wicket off leg-spinner Amit Mishra - were of any substance.

But that's entirely missing the human drama that this innings was all about. When PWI announced that they had signed Ganguly to play for the remainder of the IPL, even his most ardent fans had mixed feelings. They wanted him to succeed but they were not sure if he could.

After all, the 38-year-old cricketer had not picked up a bat in the past five months, as he himself revealed after the match.

Many others would have refused the offer. Ganguly didn't. He had always maintained he wanted to play in the IPL. Of course, the money was a factor. But it was also evident that he enjoyed playing the game. Perhaps he also accepted the offer even at this late stage because he wanted to show that the fat cats had made a mistake in not selecting him at the auction.

On Tuesday against Deccan Chargers, the left-hander once again showed that it is possible to put mind over matter. You can, if you think you can.

The crowd understood this frisson between the heart and the body that happened in Hyderabad as Ganguly guided his team to a victory. They applauded him as much for his courage -– he prefers batting to pontificating from the commentators' box or passing judgments like Javagal Srinath in his column -- as for his shots.

No single has been more cheered and clapped in IPL history than the first run he scored. And he was not even the home boy.

Sportsmen generally generate only two emotions: euphoria and despair. But like a rock star, Ganguly can make you run through the entire gamut of emotions.

Being a Ganguly fan means being part of an unpredictable emotional journey. You never know what will come your way on a particular day. Nobody else has the power to enthrall and exasperate like him.

His fans understand the wonder of Sourav Ganguly.

Courtesy : Times Of India

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Hope Dada will get us a win: Yuvraj

CHANDIGARH: His side languishing at the bottom of the points table, Pune Warriors captain Yuvraj Singh on Saturday said that they are now looking forward to former India captain Sourav Ganguly to restore some pride in their Indian Premier League campaign.

"Hopefully, he will get us a win. It's good to have him back. I just feel someone who has been captain of Indian team for a long time can always help the youngsters. Hopefully, he will hit few sixes with the bat," Yuvraj said ahead of Pune Warriors' match against his former team Kings XI Punjab at Mohali.

With the likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman featuring in the IPL, Yuvraj said there was no reason why Ganguly should not be part of the lucrative Twenty20 league.

Asked how he sees Ganguly playing under him in a sort of role reversal, Yuvraj said, "It feels great that Sourav is playing under me. He has always helped me as a captain (of the Indian team) and now it's my duty to help him."

Yuvraj said his side would play their best to break the string of successive defeats.

"Hope to get a win as soon as possible. It's a must win situation from here on. We have tried various combinations but unfortunately they haven't clicked. But, now with Sourav Ganguly on our side we are hoping to get back to winning ways," said Yuvraj after team practice session at Sector 16 cricket stadium .

"We won first two matches with same combination but it does not works always. Somebody has to score down the order also. Moreover, we have specialist openers and Jesse Ryder has been doing well," he reasoned.

Yuvraj said he is "hoping to turn the tide" at his home ground against the team which he once led.

All eyes on Sunday would be on Ganguly, who replaced injured Ashish Nehra in the side. It will have to be seen whether the experienced left-hander, who might play on Sunday, is able to boost the sagging morale of the team .

Pune had a rollicking start to their campaign and Yuvraj led the new franchise to an emphatic win against his erstwhile team Kings XI Punjab, but the seven losses on the trot after two wins have been demoralising.

After being cold-shouldered by Kolkata Knight Riders, the 38-year-old Ganguly has a point to prove and going by the number of hours he put in at the nets, he could be expected to play on Sunday.

On Saturday also, he batted for a long session, but did not oblige the media persons who waited for hours to have him speak a few words.

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Sourav really wanted to play IPL: Dona Ganguly

KOLKATA: After all the brouhaha over Sourav Ganguly's ouster from the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 4, the news of his comeback in a new team has given Dada's fans more reasons to watch the remainder of the tournament. And while his wife, Dona, is not much of a cricket buff, she's elated at the development.

"We're very happy," she says, "because Sourav really wanted to play in the IPL. So when he was approached by the Sahara team, he happily said yes." On her visit to Allahabad last month, where she had come for an Odissi dance recital, Dona had spoken about her husband not being included in KKR. "It obviously hurts a lot, but then there are situations where you can't do much. Although he has taken retirement from international cricket, I would love to see him playing in league matches in the future," she had said.

According to Dona, Sourav is more than glad to return as part of the Pune Warriors, which is owned by a company in which he himself is a director. "Yes," says Dona, "but his role in the management and in the IPL team are two very different things." However, she acknowledges the association that the Gangulys have had with the Sahara family over the years. "Subrata Royji has always helped us, he's been very kind to us."

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SC talks tough on Sourav plot

The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the way a Salt Lake plot had been allotted to Sourav Ganguly to set up a school and slammed the government for sending its officials to the cricketer’s house to facilitate paperwork for the transfer of the land.

The bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly observed that replacing a plot handed over to a party with a bigger one was a “substantial change”, implying that the government should not have allotted a larger plot to Sourav without publishing an advertisement seeking applications from all interested parties.

Sourav had initially been allotted a 48-cottah plot in the township’s BF block to set up an ICSE school. But since the rules of the Delhi-based council mandated a minimum of 60 cottahs for affiliation, the cricketer pleaded with state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya to hand him a 62-acre plot in CA block. The government granted the plea without publishing any advertisement for CA 222.

The CA Block Citizens’ Association, the NGO Humanity and Arunangshu Chakraborty, a resident of Salt Lake, had moved the high court against the move, but the court ruled: “…we are of the view that the allotment… was not vitiated by illegality, arbitrariness or mala fide merely because an advertisement was not placed….”

The petitioners then moved an appeal in the apex court which came up for hearing on Thursday.

The bench also criticised the government for sending its officers to Sourav’s house to do paperwork related to the allotment and registration of the plot.

“We live in times when governments go to the residences of celebrities and VIPs. Otherwise the government won’t run. Who will pay for their election?” Justice Singhvi observed in a sarcastic tone.

Sourav’s counsel Jayanto Mitra said the school would be run by a trust or society and poor, meritorious students would not be charged money. To this, Justice Ganguly observed the trust had not been formed following ICSE rules as “it was full of family members”.

Mitra claimed: “But this should not vitiate the land allotment. The ICSE can raise objections against this later.” Justice Ganguly then observed: “Then your land allotment is infructuous”. The hearing will continue on Friday.

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Harsha Bhogle about Pune and dada

Before this year's IPL started, when the squads were more or less finalised but before replacements had been announced, I was part of a television programme where we had to analyse each of the 10 teams. My first reaction was that five teams had the capability to distance themselves from the rest and that one of those would probably miss out somewhere close to the final qualification. It is interesting now to look at that analysis in retrospect, and I can tell you that I got it completely wrong with one and have been pleasantly surprised by another.

My shortlist was Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders as the top three, (not necessarily in that order) followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Pune Warriors. But there is a difference between the players in a squad and the team that takes the field, and no analysis can that factor in. My prediction for Pune fell through there.

In their game against Mumbai on Wednesday, they had a very good top seven in Jesse Ryder, Graeme Smith, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Manish Pandey, Mithun Manhas and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala. And their bowling, with the consistent Alfonso Thomas, Jerome Taylor, Yuvraj, and two very impressive young Indian players, Shrikant Wagh and Rahul Sharma, was better than many in the tournament. Indeed I will be surprised if both Wagh and Sharma aren't already on the selectors' radar.

And yet Pune came apart. They didn't look like they were competing. They had the players to take them far but I'm not sure they had the team.

And much as I am a fan of Sourav Ganguly it baffled me that they went for him so late in the tournament. When you pick a player of the stature of Ganguly, you have to play him. If you wait for him to get into rhythm there may not be enough time left. Or else you've picked him to increase your fan base, give the team and the supporters something to cheer about. Instead, Ganguly hit a few balls and sat by himself in the players' dugout for a while.

Now it is too late for him to make an impact, though Pune could aspire to be the team whom others don't want to play for fear of an upset.

The Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, beset with problems before the tournament began, have been refreshingly positive. No team has made more out of the available resources than they have. They have two match-winners in the squad in Ross Taylor and Shane Watson, two senior legends in support in Rahul Dravid and Shane Warne, and an astoundingly expensive Johan Botha. The rest are youngsters with promise - some pedigree but largely unproven at a level above which they are currently playing.

But Warne has managed to turn Ashok Menaria, Amit Singh and Siddharth Trivedi into decent performers. Even the stylish Ajinkya Rahane played a role in one of the games. Warne used either Dishant Yagnik or Amit Paunikar to keep wickets and got Botha to bat in the top order. Here is a side where everyone needs to play at his best if they are to have a chance to win. But win they do, certainly more often than anyone expected them to. And once again they have enriched the IPL.

While the players often rise to the occasion, a major part of the credit must go to an extraordinary man, who fills a side with self-belief. There is no more fascinating character in the IPL than Warne. The mind is still ticking and competitive, most days the fingers wrap themselves around the ball as they are intended to, and there isn't a moment when he lets the game drift. He is like the head of a guerrilla organisation that constantly surprises larger armies with skill and cunning.

I must confess, I feared for him in this year's IPL. I didn't want to see him hit around the park; you don't want to see legends reduced to that. Instead, he is high on the wicket-takers' list and has impressed Rahul Dravid with the fields he sets and the thought he puts into it. There is a chance Rajasthan will be in the top four.

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