Poaching the Bengal Tiger

Just as i sit to write on this most cliched topic,I should accept that this would be the last time i would ever give a subtle thought to it.Over and over again i have been arguing with my friends in support of sourav.Yes! you heard it right,in support of saurav.

Before we could come anything close to concluding about the fate of this endangered species,we need to take into account some pragmatic facts and also little morality into account.Afterall we ve been taught right from our school days to behave morally.Remember the bedtime stories that your granny used to say?Ok no more beating around the bush.Lets get a move along.

With due permission from all you readers i take you down a small memory lane back to 1996.Saurav Chandidas Ganguly was making his test debut in LORDS(Mecca of Cricket).If ever any one claims that he is not aware of that historic day,then he should potentially quit (with due respect to the reader)reading further as he is not going to be aware of any of saurav's heroics.He did not stop there ,but went on to make another ton in the next match.Whew...back to back ton for a debutant at such a highest level.Surely saurav had arrived in the world cricket scene with a bang.

A man who was determined to prove his critics wrong after his misdemeanour in Australia back in 1991,he scripted a great epic in the TORONTO CUP against Pakistan in 1997.The tiger roared like a lion this time around.Of the five matches played,he got scores of 50+ four times.Remember it was a tough seeming wicket.As that did not satisfy his appetite he went on to take 18 wickets with two back to back 5 wicket hauls.He was declard Man of the Match four times and was also awarded the Man of the series.Whew...he could not ask for more.

As and when he started to mature at the highest level,he began to provide some gems in the abridged version of the game.He boasts a commanding average of 40+ in one day cricket.Who could ever forget his innings against pakistan in dhaka when india was chasing a world record score of 314.His blitzkreig against srilanka in taunton during 1999 world cup still gives me sleepless nights.

Then came the most important part of his cricketing career.Indian cricket was at its inflection point,and it desperately needed a new charismatic figure who could march them to greater heights.Who else than saurav could they bank on after sachin decided to call it a day as captain.His heroic deeds in the very first tournament as a captain in the ICC tournament in 2000 surely took every one by storm .That was when the NEW INDIAN CRICKET was born.He was the first captain in my memory to address young blood in the team.If you people are chanting the hymns of yuvraj,zaheer,harbhajan today,then please take note,it was saurav who blooded them in this team.Time and again when these guys were underperforming it was saurav who kept instilling confidence and backed every bit of their move.Now this is what you call it as a true leadership.

Many greats had played this game including the likes of gavaskar,kapil dev and azharuddin,but no one could ever come close to this man's leadership abilities.He owns the credit to most number of overseas victories as a captain,commands a higher win percentage than any other player who had captained INDIA.Lets be pragmatic in this situation and give it to him.Let us all accept that fact that he is the most successful captain.Some of his critics might argue that saurav has been blessed with such a talented team.True.But let me also remind you that it is even more difficult to lead a star studded team.Real Madrid FC is a case in point.Look at Real's performance for the past 3 years.Not even a single championship to boast.

Yes i agree,saurav has been woefully short of runs not just in the recent past but for a good 2 to 3 years.If i am asked to tell one of his best innings in his recent past then my memory goes back all the way back to 2003 during the INDIA DOWNUNDER series in Brisbane.But hang on,the aussie attack on that day were devoid of the "spin doctor" Warne and the "pigeon" Mcgrath.So what,who cares,that innings surely and definitely set the tone for india's greatest ever foriegn tour if i could say so(after all this is a democratic country).As a captain he took the mantle on his own and routed the aussie attack as katrina,wilma,dennis (Ahh...how could i forget BAAZ and MALA that ravaged chennai).

It could be inferred that the whole saurav episode is due to a bitter political clout between two factions and i belive every one would agree to this.Let the new team management under the leadership of rahul and greg take into account some of saurav's heroics and give him a chance.No one could ever agree that saurav has been dealt the right treatment. %$^& leave out "right" atleast a moral treatment.He was never given a proper chance to redeem himself after being stripped of his captaincy.In the one off test that india played against SL he made a decent contribution and was involved in two match winning partnerships only to see that he would be dropped for the next tour.

It seems like both the board and the team management is playing hide and seek with saurav.Lets treat our most successful captain with some amount of dignity and respect and give him a fair trail.

OK wake up.Go back to work.I am done.