Permit me a little more of a celebration
. Like other Ganguly fans, this moment has been a long time coming -- and I think we are permitted a paean or two to the man.
To me, Sourav Ganguly epitomises grit and determination. His presence in the side has an infectiously positive impact -- as he simply exudes optimism (those photos of him chewing his fingers being decidedly the exceptional moments). Nothing but an innate optimism could have enabled him to stage so many comebacks to the side, to keep going on despite seemingly insurmountable odds. When virtually all his fans (including I) had given up all hope of him ever making a comeback, here he is again in the Indian test side, ready once more to deliver the thrill of those unorthodox square-cuts for six, the silken cover drives, the glorious lofted shots over the bowler and into the deep mid-wicket stands.
There is nothing right about his batting: from the way he grips the bat (with part of the handle sticking out) to the way he prods defensively early in his innings (getting umpires to wrongly judge him out lbw because his huge pads are preventing them from judging where leg stump is), there is nothing orthodox about his approach. Sheer doggedness and determination, a superb eye and great cricketing nous are what have kept him going.
With 15,000 international runs, 34 centuries and 119 international wickets to his name, plus 21 test victories (7 more than any other previous Indian captain), you might imagine that Sourav has nothing more to prove or achieve. But then you are reckoning against the man's sense of destiny and purpose. When he was 17 and Sachin 16+, both made centuries for India under-19 against Pakistan. Sachin was soon in the full Indian side, and Sourav was convinced he would soon be too. At 19, he got his call -- only for his selection to be excoriated in the Indian media as being another case of zonal selection bias. Discarded after a solitary debut ODI game, he did mope a bit but fought a lonely fight in domestic cricket for four and a half years to somehow make it back into contention. The Indian press again went to town blasting his selection in 1996, but of course the rest is history: he unexpectedly made 48 in his comeback ODI match (batting at no. 3 when he was at #6 or 7 in most of the practice matches -- being set up to fail but succeeding instead). Having forced his way into the test side, he then made those two imperious centuries at Lord's and Leeds, suddenly emerging as a test certainty and prematurely ending Sanjay Manjrekar's career.
Upon his return, Ganguly promptly remarked that he should be thought of "like Steve Waugh" (an audacious comparison for a young upstart to make, but one reflecting the spirited cockiness that has always driven him); he was only talking about being a batsman with considerable bowling ability, but the comparison was eye-catching. Like Pankaj Roy, Jaideep Mukherjea and Chuni Goswami, Ganguly comes from an upper-middle-class Bengali family (a classic "bhadralok" with the noblesse oblige that comes naturally to someone of that class) but with a common touch that enables him to connect immediately with the young guns in the side. Like Pankaj, Jaideep and Chuni, he is actually a natural sportsman, who excelled in several sports at school (despite the appearance of being "unathletic" which comes from his ungainly running style). He could have become a Mohun Bagan footballer, but chose to focus on cricket when he was around 12. That late switch probably explains his seemingly-poor technique, although his natural ability and grit have more than compensated.
Unlike many from that class, however, and very much like the great driven sportsmen of the past from Bengal cited above, Ganguly is a driven striver. Perhaps his work ethic is less comprehensive than Dravid's, but not greatly so. Without it, he could not have staged so many comebacks from seemingly insurmountable positions. Somehow, a person like that (rather than one -- like Shastri or Manjrekar -- who retires at the first evidence of losing his sinecure in the side) seems much more worthy of admiration.
Ultimately the most unexpected contribution Ganguly made to cricket and history generally, was his unique leadership style. By being inclusive, and giving leadership roles to the youngest members of the side, he was able to share the burdens of his lonely job. And it was a style that lifted India to lofty cricketing heights that it has simply never attained with any consistency before. While Kapil's Devils will always be on a higher pedestal for having won the ultimate ODI prize, Ganguly was able to consistently lift his side to being among the top-3 sides in the world in both tests and ODIs. Under him, India were runners-up and then joint winners of the Champions Trophy, runners-up in the World Cup and won numerous other ODI trophies (the Natwest Triseries in England most memorably). But it was in tests that he climbed Everest twice: first, by beating Australia (a side that had, until then, won a record 16 consecutive tests) not only in that epic test in Calcutta (where he made 48 in a century partnership with Laxman that is now forgotten, but helped set up the famous Laxman-Dravid one) but in Madras as well to win the series. Then, by beating Pakistan in Pakistan -- again a feat that had never before been achieved by an Indian side. Having beaten England 2-1 (home away) and Australia 3-2 (home-away) before that, Ganguly's India was arguably the greatest Indian test side ever that glorious March (2004).
There have been mainly lows in his career since, but here's hoping that we will have some glorious new highs in the weeks and months ahead.