Ganguly to retire after Australia Tests

Sourav Ganguly has said he will retire after the upcoming Test series against Australia. His statement, a moment of unscripted drama at the end of a routine press conference in Bangalore, ends widespread speculation over his future.

"Just one last thing lads, before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series," Ganguly said after taking the last question of his press conference. "I've decided to quit. I told my team-mates before coming here. These four Test matches are going to be my last and hopefully we'll go on a winning note."

With that, he got up and walked out, offering no explanation for what led to the decision. Shortly after that Kris Srikkanth, the head of India's new selection panel, threw some light on it. "I think he's probably taken the right decision," Srikkanth said. "He had a good chat with me and my co-selector Narendra Hirwani. He wants a peaceful series without any troubles on his mind. As a player I can tell you that when you have an axe over your head it doesn't feel right."

India's selectors, headed by Srikkanth, picked Ganguly in a 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Australia despite his being overlooked for the Irani Cup match between the Rest of India and Delhi. Lacking top-quality match practice since the end of the Sri Lanka Tests, he was rushed to Chennai for an India 'A' match against New Zealand.

"To be honest I didn't expect to be picked for this series," Ganguly said. "But once I was chosen, I started preparing. Even when I was left out of the Rest of India squad, which was a bit of a surprise for me, I was still training with the Bengal boys."

Ganguly also dismissed speculation over a "voluntary retirement scheme" for the senior members of India's squad. "I don't think it's ever possible that anybody can offer you a VRS. You cannot do that to players like [Anil] Kumble, [Rahul] Dravid, [VVS] Laxman, me, Sachin [Tendulkar] or anyone.

"What is important is what you get to know from the board [BCCI] and as far as I, and some of the senior players, are concerned, we have not received any intimation from the board on anything."

Ganguly, 36, has scored 6888 runs in 109 Tests, with 15 hundreds. He played 49 Tests as captain, the most by an Indian. The 21 matches won during his tenure is also an Indian record, and his win percentage of over 40 is the highest for players who have captained India in more than one Test. Starting with a hundred on debut, Ganguly's Test average has never dipped below 40.

In 311 ODIs, he scored 11,363 runs at 41.02. He captained India in 147 ODIs. His last ODI was against Pakistan in Gwalior on November 15, 2007. He is one of only three players to complete the treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODIs, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar being the others. Along with Tendulkar, he formed a prolific partnership at the top of the order, with 6609 runs at an average of nearly 50 per stand in 136 innings.

Since his recall in December 2006 and till the end of the home series against South Africa earlier this year, Ganguly scored 1571 runs at 50.67, including a maiden double-century. However, he managed only 96 runs in six innings during India's 2-1 series defeat in Sri Lanka this summer.

Ganguly to retire after Australia series

India’s most successful Test captain, Sourav Ganguly, has decided to retire from cricket at the end of the four-Test series against Australia. The ‘Prince of Kolkata’ made the announcement at a press conference held in Bangalore.

“I have decided to quit and told my teammates about it. Australia series will be my last series,” said Ganguly. The dashing southpaw was only the seventh batsman in the history of ODI cricket to score 10,000 runs in the fifty-over format.

In 311 ODIs, he scored a phenomenal 11,363 runs with 22 tons and 72 half-centuries. He clearly ruled the shorter format and topped the batting charts for most runs in a calendar year thrice in his career (1997, 1999, 2000). ‘Dada’, as he is fondly called, also holds the record for bagging four consecutive ‘Man of the Match’ awards in ODIs. He is one of only three players to complete the treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODIs.

An integral member of the ‘Fab Four’, he captained India for a record 41 Tests and guided his team to 21 Test wins, the most by an India captain. He also led India to its first series wins in both Tests and ODIs in Pakistan, a feat that had eluded India for over 50 years. Ganguly is also the seventh Indian cricketer to have played 100 Test matches and is currently the fifth highest overall run-scorer for India in Tests with 6888 runs.

Known for strong fight-backs, he made a stunning comeback after being recalled for the South Africa series. He was also the second highest run-scorer for India in 2007 but was left out of the ODI set-up. Speculations about him being axed from the Test side grew after being dropped for the Irani game that followed a mediocre performance in Sri Lanka. A new set of selectors under Kris Srikkanth’s chairmanship named him in the 15-member squad that will take on Australia for the first two Tests.

It is imperative to note that Australia’s most successful captain, Steve Waugh, too decided to quit cricket at the end of the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Test series.