The Return of Ganguly - Heart of a Champion

By Taps
February 18 2007

After scoring the highest number of runs of any Indian batsman in South Africa upon his Test recall, Ganguly wins Man of the Series award against Sri Lanka after being recalled in ODIs.

So Sourav Ganguly now gets Man of the Series Award in ODIs.

He has been extremely consistent since his comeback in SA, a place where his "weakness against short-pitched bowling" would supposedly be exposed. The most prolific Indian batsman in conditions where, his critics were betting, he wouldn't score more than 20 in an innings.

This has to be one of the greatest comebacks in the modern era. Ganguly had fallen out with the coach and the selectors, was going through a horrendous form slump and was essentially banished from cricket and written off by most.

Whether you like him or not, you have to acknowledge his strength of character to fight against all odds in his comeback. And what a comeback it has been!

Of course, we all knew that he was a classy cricketer. But the most encouraging factor is that he looks lean, mean and hungry for success.

Importantly, he seems to be at peace with himself and his place in the team. A fact that was amply illustrated by the spontaneous reaction he received from his teammates when he took that spectacular catch in the third ODI, or when he received the Man of Series award yesterday.

Time and tide wait for no man, and eventually he will go. But this comeback will solidify Sourav Ganguly's legend in the history of Indian cricket.

Once again, against all odds (similar to his century at Lords or his ton in Brisbane) Ganguly has hit back at his critics hard, and made them eat their words and some mud too as a bonus!

The 2007 World Cup will be his last by his own admission, and I for one will miss Sourav's combative spirit and his strength of character. He captained India during a difficult period immediately after the match-fixing mess, but led them with aplomb and created a team out of the rubble of the post match-fixing situation.

It's amazing that after all this, he is still a crucial cog for our World Cup hopes, and what's more, currently looks the most solid of all our batsmen. He has been valuable to the team after his comeback, not only because of his leadership or inspirational qualities, but because of his performance as a batsman in the team who has been giving the team consistent starts at the top of the order.

Never underestimate the heart of a champion is a common refrain, but never so true as when applied to the Ganguly comeback. He probably was the only one who believed that he had it in him to play for India, when a majority (including me) thought we had seen the last of him. But he proved us all wrong, and nothing is more exciting than to see an underdog fight against all odds and come out on top.

For that spirit, Ganguly deserves our praise and more!