IPL Comeback, A Chance For Ganguly To End His Career On A High

'Making a comeback': If you believe that this is comeback of Ganguly is an eyebrow-raiser, perhaps every comeback was!

Just when the Indian Premier League was starting to leave people cold, the breaking news of Sourav Ganguly’s inclusion in the Pune Warriors squad came by. If you believe that this is comeback of his is surprising, perhaps every comeback was. If I’m right, this is his fourth comeback (1996 – in ODIs after being dropped in 1992, 2005 – in tests after being cold-shouldered by Greg Chappel and Kiran More, 2006 – Test and ODI after people were almost despondent about his place in Team India for the World Cup 2007 and 2011 – inclusion in the Pune Warriors squad after the snub ). If the numbers are any indicators, it speaks volumes of the doyen’s ‘will’ rather his ‘never-give-up’ attitude that has allowed him to prevail in the game. Every cull saw him comeback stronger both mentally and technically, if not physically.(Disclaimer: I may not have admired him like his fans did, for I’m not one of them, but I’m putting forward my views as a neutral.)

It indeed took many by surprise when no hands went up for Sourav Ganguly (alongside with Chris Gayle and Brian Lara) in the auction that took place this January (8-9). There were several reasons peddled out, none of which were fitting. The only reason I could see is the ‘politics banner’ that tend to follow Ganguly everywhere he goes. This did leave his rooters fervent and aggrieved. Many even went to the extent of endorsing the motto, “No Dada, No IPL”. The first few games at the Eden Gardens witnessed empty stands. However, as the emotions subsided and a consistent performance came along, the Kolkata Knight Riders earned themselves an unassailable fan base.

It is highly puerile to say Sharukh Khan’s treatment was marked by concealed contempt. It was pretty clear that he was desperate to give his side a new outfit and his prophecy did work. The mid-tournament analyses show that the Kolkata Knight Riders are the second best team just behind the Mumbai Indians (not to forget the fact that the Mumbai Indians have almost retained the same squad and the bonding is evident.)

Meanwhile Pune’s performance has elucidated why ‘being a stronger team on paper, doesn’t always help you on the field’. While their team looks in par with that of the Mumbai Indians, the former find themselves at the wrong end of the points table as the latter continue to retain its pole position.

A good IPL performance before calling it a day would be something he will want to add to his, what is otherwise, an extraordinary CV.

In all fairness, Yuvraj has done a pretty decent job both as a batsman and as a captain. The team is often mired in; rather they are suffering from a ‘problem of plenty’. There have been too many contesting for the same spot in the side, especially for the top three positions, leaving the players in the middle-order bat at a position lower than where they actually should. They have lacked a person who could manage the armory efficiently. If Ganguly can bring into the side what they have found wanting: ‘the ability to manage the available resources’, the side will look complete.

For Ganguly, this is a finishing process rather than an opportunity refute criticisms. Both his test and one-day careers faced abrupt ends. While his fans and cronies have started to celebrate the announcement with a lot of exuberance, Ganguly will seek IPL as a means to end his career on a high. A good IPL performance before calling it a day would be something he will want to add to his, what is otherwise, an extraordinary CV.