Ganguly revels in adversity

India v Australia, 2nd Test, Mohali, 2nd day

Ganguly revels in adversity

October 18, 2008

	Sourav Ganguly's century was his 16th in Tests and his second against Australia © Getty Images

The serial offender has done it again. Sourav Ganguly's announcement that this series would be his last took most of the adverse attention off his middle-order friends and concentrated it upon him. He revealed it was the Irani Cup axe that prompted his decision to quit and then drew flak for uncharitable comments, which were attributed to him, about selectors and team-mates. Suddenly, barely days after his decision to "gracefully retire" was celebrated, he once again became the villain. How we love to do that to Ganguly.

The pressure facing Ganguly this time, however, was new. He has battled for his place in side on several occasions but this time his selection was beyond doubt. And that created pressure in itself because he wouldn't want to be picked only because he had announced his retirement. That too after he had been made to feel unwanted, in no unsubtle terms, by not being called for the pre-series camp in Bangalore. The camp was held before the selection for the Tests, and apart from Ganguly (and Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik, who were both sure to be dropped), all the members of the previous Test squad were present.

The retirement and its aftermath ensured that Ganguly would still be fighting personal battles during the series. Another charge he's had to face was that he was a distraction to the team. Not to worry, though, for the dramatic build-up only took the game to Ganguly's home turf. It's hard to explain why, but as Ian Botham said of his own technique, it sort of clicks. Ganguly's game sort of clicks when he has been written off, it sort of clicks when people want him to be seen as the enemy. His game has sort of clicked so far in this series, for one last time.

Not many have scored a century in a series which they have chosen to be their last, a feat which Greg Chappell, an admirer of Ganguly's mental toughness, has performed. And when he completed his hundred, his celebrations portrayed a man at peace with himself. In his mind, perhaps, he didn't need to respond to chin-music claims, a coach, or even a former chairman of selectors. It has been a distinct characteristic of the Ganguly who made a comeback to the side in South Africa. Some have even called it his "paternal avatar".

So when Ganguly flicked Cameron White towards the midwicket boundary in the third over after lunch, and realised the ball wouldn't be cut off by the fielders, he ran towards the end opposite the pavilion, pumped his fists and raised both his arms, while smiling to himself. The helmet stayed where it was, and he didn't point at anybody. By the time Mahendra Singh Dhoni went up to hug him, Ganguly had already had a private moment or two. Here was a man who had fought the world, and more, but during one of his final moments of glory, he didn't have a message for his detractors, as if they didn't matter.

The century itself was a subdued effort on a flat pitch: more determined than flamboyant, more workman like than princely. He said later that the Australians had blocked the boundaries by employing defensive fields almost throughout. This innings required more patience than usual and Ganguly had it in abundance. Yesterday he took 18 balls to get off the mark but raced away while everybody was focused on Sachin Tendulkar's record. By the time Tendulkar took charge, Ganguly had reached his thirties and took the back seat again.

Today he had to start anew, almost like an opener, against refreshed bowlers and a ball which was five-overs old. He also had to make sure India didn't collapse before reaching a formidable total. He had the perfect partner in Dhoni, who took the attack to Australia, and the spotlight away from Ganguly. Quietly he moved towards his second hundred against Australia and his first at home. Perhaps it had taken a lot of out him for the error that resulted in his dismissal came immediately after he had reached the century. Ganguly's innings had begun with India on 163 for 4 but his partnerships with Tendulkar and Dhoni had helped achieve a total of 469.

On October 7, he had said "just one last thing lads", and dropped a bomb. On October 18, he said that one last thing. Or maybe not for there are five possible innings to go. We are still listening, Dadi.

Ganguly and Tendulkar give India the edge

India 311 for 5 (Tendulkar 88, Gambhir 67, Ganguly 54*) v Australia
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly added 142 for the fifth wicket © AFP

India's batsmen sandwiched a middle-order wobble in the afternoon with excellent batting during the first and third sessions to inch ahead of Australia on the first day in Mohali. A brief passage of play, during which India lost three wickets for 17 runs, threatened to undo the 104-run platform built in the morning but Sachin Tendulkar, who became Test cricket's highest run-scorer, and Sourav Ganguly ensured that the initiative wasn't lost by batting the majority of the final session.

Unlike the pitch in Bangalore, which had variable bounce from the start, the surface at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium was true. There was hardly any swing or movement off the pitch; the ball came on to the bat, and sped off it, allowing the batsmen to drive on the up or hit through the line. Australia's bowlers, who failed to bowl disciplined lines during the first session, were.more accurate - and successful - after lunch. At tea, given the outstanding batting conditions, Australia held the edge having reduced India to 174 for 4. Another wicket would have made it their day but they were blunted by Tendulkar and Ganguly, who scored at nearly four an over without any risks.

Tendulkar broke Brian Lara's record off the first ball after tea, steering Peter Siddle to third man, but, once the seemingly endless fireworks subsided, India needed a much more substantial contribution from him. It was Ganguly, however, who set the pace initially. He had taken 17 balls to get off the mark before tea but after the interval he hit the ball through gaps in the offside with precision, driving Shane Watson and Peter Siddle for three boundaries between point and cover. He milked that region for 41 of his runs and, apart from a stumping against Cameron White - Rudi Koertzen did not refer it to the third umpire - and a couple of uncertain wafts against the second new ball, his innings was calm.

Towards the end of the day, Tendulkar was batting so confidently that he despatched the first delivery with the second new ball, bowled by Siddle, through cover with a back foot drive. He tried to repeat the shot the next ball but inside edged the ball past his stumps. His third attempt to push the new ball through the offside 15 minutes before stumps landed in Matthew Hayden's hands at first slip and gave Siddle his maiden Test wicket. It ended a 142-run stand and helped even the balance between the teams.

Before that error in judgement, however, Tendulkar had scored runs all round the ground and wasn't tied down by any bowler. He was severe on Siddle, against whom he scored 29 off 20 balls, driving him twice past mid-on for four and steering him to the third-man boundary. He also scored at a strike-rate of above 75 against Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, who was once again Australia's best bowler. When Ponting brought on Cameron White, Tendulkar attempted to unsettle the legspinner by charging down the pitch and lofting down the ground. He brought up his fifty - his 50th in Test cricket - and also became the first batsmen to score 12,000 Tests.

Those records were preceded by a spell in which Australia regained ground lost during the morning session; though their bowlers rectified mistakes made earlier in the day, the wickets were largely due to lapses by the batsmen.

Johnson was largely responsible for the fightback. He ended Virender Sehwag's charge in the morning, caught down the leg side, and dismissed Laxman in a similar manner after lunch. In between those wickets he contained Dravid by bowling full and wide with seven fielders on the off side, and induced an edge from Gambhir as he tried to drive another full delivery through cover. Australia picked up 3 for 17 and recovered from the rapid start made by Gambhir and Sehwag.

Gambhir was struck on the helmet by Siddle's first ball in international cricket but recovered to drive the ball through cover, a stroke that would become a feature of his innings. Sehwag ensured the run-rate stayed around six an over by piercing the infield frequently. He punished Siddle when the line was too straight, nudging him down to fine leg, and flicking to the square-leg boundary twice in succession.

The batsmen hit 10 boundaries in the first hour and raced to 63 in 13 overs. Having tried all his fast bowlers, Ricky Ponting gave the final over of the session to the left-arm spinner Michael Clarke. Gambhir took the opportunity to reach his half-century before lunch by stepping out to loft Clarke twice in a row over mid-on.

The Australians came out after the break with different lines of attack. Watson and Siddle restricted Gambhir's scoring by aiming short balls at his ribs. Johnson slanted deliveries full and wide outside off stump and asked the batsmen to drive with seven fielders on the off side. Dravid chased one and was beaten, after which he let several go. He eventually played on while trying to force Lee through the off side.

India had two new batsmen at the crease a short while before tea and had to begin from scratch. Tendulkar and Ganguly protected the innings from further damage

Ganguly rubs Australians the wrong way again

Melbourne: Intentionally or inadvertently, Sourav Ganguly continues to rub Australians the wrong way and the media here poured vitriol on the former India skipper, accusing him of indulging in delaying tactics to ensure the Bangalore Test ended in a draw.

The popular belief here is that Australia were destined to win the Bangalore Test but the existing light rule, coupled with Ganguly's delaying tactics, denied Ricky Ponting's men victory in the first of the four-match Test series.

A member of the National Nine News sports team took a potshot at anyone and everyone but was particularly harsh on Ganguly, whom he described as a "serial offender".

"Serial offender Sourav Ganguly firstly persuaded the umpires to go off. Then when play resumed, Ganguly made Australia's fielders and partner VVS Laxman wait an eternity because he'd apparently 'forgotten to put his thigh pad on'.

"Please! Can't you be timed out in this game?" he wrote.

According to him, the spectators were the obvious losers in the entire exercise.

"The players got something out of it. Pedantic officials got their moment of glory. But billions of fans and more importantly — the game itself — got nothing out of this farcical finish in Bangalore," he remarked.

Criticising umpire Asad Rauf and Rudy Koertzen, the writer said, "With the match in the balance, a crucial hour's play on the final day was lost, with not one, but two stoppages for bad light — when at times the sun was shining!

"Umpires strutted about like Emperor Penguins, holding out their light metres — a device that like performance enhancing drugs should be banned."