Resurgent Ganguly in top 20 after 7 years

Saurav Ganguly
Following his outstanding performance in the series against Pakistan, Sourav Ganguly entered into the top-20 of ICC Test rankings for batsmen for the first time in seven years.

The left-hander notched up two centuries, one fifty at an average of 89.00 to earn the Player of the Series award and jump four places to 20th in the ICC list.

However, Sachin Tendulkar dropped a rung to 19th. On the bowling front, India's Test captain Anil Kumble is relishing his time in charge and the veteran leg-spinner took 18 wickets in the three-Test series to move up two places to fifth in the bolwers list.

Meanwhile, pace spearhead Irfan Pathan's maiden Test hundred has pushed him to the sixth spot in the rankings for all-rounders, behind Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka. The other big mover from the India-Pakistan Test series is Misbah-ul-Haq. The right-hander began the series in 88th position but is now ranked 25th after scoring 464 runs in six innings at an average of 116.

At the top, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara and Australia's Ricky Ponting are sharing the number one position in the rankings for batsmen. The two are locked on 936 ratings points but Sangakkara has the first chance to move ahead again when Sri Lanka and England take the field for the third and final Test of the series in Galle, starting on Tuesday.

Ganguly attributes success to batting at No. 4

Batsman rues hundreds missed lower down the order
December 14, 2007

Sourav Ganguly: "I had to bat at five or sometimes six and I missed quite a few hundreds"

Sourav Ganguly, the Man of the Series in India's recent series against Pakistan, has attributed his tremendous success to batting at No.4. Ganguly, mostly a No.5 or 6 batsman, walked in at No.4 in three of the six innings, notching up scores of 46, 239 and 91 from that position, and felt he could have had more hundreds in his career had he batted higher throughout.

"I got to bat at No. 4 in this series and it helped me," he told CNN-IBN, an Indian news channel, after enjoying his most successful three-match series in close to a decade. "I have batted lower down the order for a lot of time and Rahul [Dravid] used to bat at No. 3 and Sachin [Tendulkar] came at four. As a result, I had to bat at five or sometimes six and I missed quite a few hundreds because we did not have wicketkeeper-batsmen like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik earlier. These guys support people batting at five or six. But me and [VVS] Laxman suffered in terms of getting hundreds," he added.

Ganguly began his Test career at No. 3 but managed only 16 more chances in that position. He has batted at No. 4 in 18 innings but the majority of his career has been from Nos. 5 (84) and 6 (39). He managed a hundred from No. 5 in the second Test of the recent series, a memorable one in front of his home crowd in Kolkata, and was sent in at No. 4 in the second innings to speed up the scoring-rate. An injury to Tendulkar meant he walked in at No. 4 in the final Test too, one where he cracked his career-best score.

A special one for the Maharaj

December 13, 2007

Sourav Ganguly can rest well after a splendid series against Pakistan © AFP

Sourav Ganguly - 9.5
In his most successful series in 11 years, Ganguly probably batted better than he ever has. A mammoth 239 in Bangalore overshadowed the rest but there were two vital second-innings knocks in the first and third Test that snuffed out Pakistan's hopes of a revival. Throw in a fairytale century in front of his doting home crowd - his first in Kolkata - and you had one of the most stirring revivals in recent memory. There were also four wickets, including an untiring spell in Delhi that provided the early opening.

Wasim Jaffer - 9
Jaffer was outstanding in the opening two games. His 53 in the Delhi Test set up the run-chase but it was the towering 202 in Kolkata that will be remembered for long. He couldn't cash in on the starts in Bangalore, and dropped a dolly of a catch when fielding at short leg in Delhi, but he provided much-needed solidity at the top of the order.

VVS Laxman - 9
He began the series with his spot under threat but ended it as one of the most dependable batsmen. A match-winning 72 in Delhi was followed by an expert hundred at his favourite venue, Kolkata. It wasn't until the third Test that Pakistan managed to dismiss him. He didn't make an impact in Bangalore, having to retire hurt in the second innings after being hit on the elbow, but will now take on his favourite opponents - Australia - with loads of confidence.

Yuvraj Singh - 8.5
Grabbing his first chance with the poise of a veteran, Yuvraj changed the dynamics of the final Test. His sizzling 169 was arguably the knock of the series, lifting India from a precarious 61 for 4 and making a mess of Pakistan's hopes. He had a good time with the ball as well, claiming two wickets in the final afternoon of the series and raising visions of an unlikely win.

Anil Kumble - 8
Bounding in with his usual fervour, Kumble enjoyed a successful first series as captain. As expected, he topped the wicket-takers' list, with 18 victims at 26.5, and led the side in an assured manner. He had to put up with dopey pitches but never tired and pegged away till the last ball. It was fitting that he claimed his first series win in Bangalore, his home town where he was cheered heartily.

Zaheer Khan - 7
An inspired spell on the fourth morning in Delhi, when the ball reverse-swung alarmingly, turned to be match-winning. He was economical in Kolkata (1 for 101 in 33.2 overs) and missed the Bangalore Test with an injury to his landing heel.

Irfan Pathan - 6.5
Was called up following injuries to his fast-bowling colleagues but made the most of the chance with the bat. His maiden ton in Bangalore, which involved a big partnership with Ganguly, effectively sealed the series. He didn't have much of an impact with the ball, preferring to bowl accurately and keep the runs down. On a pancake-like pitch it was probably his best option.

Ishant Sharma - 6.5
A five-wicket haul in his second Test couldn't have come at a better time. It vindicated Venkatesh Prasad's faith in him and earned him a berth to Australia. He was impressive with the new ball on the third evening and mopped up the tail with some sensible bowling on the fourth morning. Clocking around 135-140kph, he showed he could use both the bouncer and yorker effectively.

Sachin Tendulkar - 6
Went largely unnoticed in what was a lukewarm series. Played a key role in blunting Shoaib Akhtar on the fourth evening in Delhi and was fluent during his controlled 82 in Kolkata. It was an important knock, one where he and Jaffer set the tone for the batathon. A knee injury kept him out of the Bangalore game but he's not one whom the Aussies will take lightly.

Rahul Dravid - 6
Had a quiet series with some key contributions. A couple of dogged innings in Delhi and Bangalore were overshadowed by Ganguly's flair and an umpiring decision cut short his knock in Kolkata. Wasn't the Wall we're used to seeing and saw his Test average drop below 56.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - 6
Shared an important partnership with Laxman in Delhi, when he reached fifty, and feasted on an insipid attack in Kolkata. Had a reasonably good time behind the stumps, though he was injured for the match played on the toughest pitch.

Harbhajan Singh - 4
A disappointing series overall, barring a couple of good spells in Delhi and Kolkata. Harbhajan was constantly in Kumble's shadow and operated as a partnership-breaker rather than leader of the pack. A stern test awaits in a country where he's played only one Test.

Dinesh Karthik - 4
Had a tough series with the bat and a horror of a game behind the stumps in Bangalore, admittedly on a horror of a pitch, where he set a record for the most byes conceded by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test innings. Showed some batting form with a second-innings fifty in the final Test, one that came from No.7 rather than his usual opening slot. Sneaked into the squad for Australia but it remains to be seen if he gets a game.

Munaf Patel - 3.5
Barring a short burst in Delhi, he struggled through the first two Tests and injured himself ahead of the third. Didn't hit the back-of-a-length spot we're accustomed to seeing from him and wasn't penetrative enough either.

Gautam Gambhir - 3
Missed out in his only chance, in Bangalore, and injured himself by the end of the game. Received a good ball from Mohammad Sami in the first innings - handing him his first wicket in the series - and was deceived by a Shoaib Akhtar slower ball in the second.