To all the readers of this Blog!

Thank you. Siddhart, Partha, Grey Blind, FIP, Anonymous, Shamrez Zack, Bhavin, Rudra, Seena, Neel and all other...thank you all for your continous support and encouragement.

Just a special word to Grey Blind and Shamrez: Thanks for pointing out the errors! Have corrected them. I respect our difference of opinions but do really appreciate the time you have taken to read the Blog in details, and contribute with your invaluable information and opinion.

To Partha and all other ... as everything that starts must also come to an end! Since I had started with Sourav's childhood, I had to bring the series of story telling to a logical end with his historical feat in England tour.

I tried to retrace the path of Sourav from childhood to Lords, with unheard and unknown stories. The experiences of our life makes what we are! My true and honest intention in unravelling the lesser known stories was to discover the building blocks of Sourav's undying, unrelenting character - which was transfused into an ailing team through his legendary captaincy.

But, the show must go on - with a new beginning ... with a new idea! So till then, adieu! See you all soon!

A Hero is Born!

The flight from London touched Kolkata via Delhi. The Dum Dum Airport at Kolkata was flooded with cricket fans from all over Kolkata and beyond. They had come all the way to see a glimpse of Dada – The Big Brother. Sourav got on to an open hooded car arranged by C.A.B. There was uncountable number of people by the two sides of the road. The situation got worse near Behala. Sourav’s car was not moving at all. It took few hours to reach Behala from Taratala More, which otherwise takes 10-15 minutes. People had come out of their homes to wish Sourav.

Bengal had finally found their hero, whom they would always love, adore and stand by throughout his career.

Century again!

Sourav’s century at Lords was unexpected to the cricket fraternity of this country. While for most it was a pleasant surprise, for others it was rather hard to accept. A lot of cricket pundits wrote off his historical feat as a mere fluke. No matter what world thinks, a true champion is one who performs on the stage when it is most needed!

Sourav did receive appreciations as well. Richie Beno said that he expected such a knock from Sourav and hailed him as one of the rare left handed talents in cricket.

Team India, played two more matches before third test. The first one was against ‘University’ where Sourav scored 52 and the other against Hampshire where he scored scored an unbeaten 100.

The 2nd Test began at Trentbridge. India batted first. Vikram Rathod and Nayan Mongia failed again, and got out at 4 and 9. Sachin and Sourav were at the crease. Together they played in absolute tandem, to build a partnership of 255 runs. This was the beginning of many such phenomenal partnerships which these two greats of Indian cricket went on to score in the next ten years. Sourav hit yet another century and was caught by Nasir off Mullai’s delivery at a personal score of 136. Sachin was finally out on 177. With Sanjay Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid chipping in with useful knocks of 53 and 84, India posted a target of 521 before England. The match finally ended in a draw.

But, Indian cricket saw the rise of two new talents – Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, who would become the pillars of Indian batting side for over a decade.

The moment finally arrives - debut at Lords

It was Sourav’s turn. Some of his teammates wished him luck as he proceeded. Sourav descended down the stairs and walked straight into the field. Before him was the lush green velvet - Lords, the mecca of cricket! It was the first day of the 2nd Test match between England and India. The English bowlers had already drawn first blood. Vikram Rathod was out on 15.

Sourav felt a shiver down his veins. Was it cold or the thrill of the moment? It was the moment for him. He had waited four years for this. It was time to give a suitable reply to all the controversies and allegations that was hurled at him. Even his selection wasn’t free of criticisms. Before the start of the test, the rumour went as “A new batsman from Kolkata has been included in the team. It is because of the Bengali quota’’. But what if he fails?

Sourav, closed his eyes and moved his head in a sideways. Blood rushed up his veins...that put all these thoughts out of his mind. .. he encircled his arms, to warm them up. The pitch was coming closer and closer. He tried to think what Mike had told him. “Enjoy your game my dear boy.”

He walked up to the batting crease and took guard. The bowler was running to him. Sourav could see only the red ball in his hand.

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It was June 20th 1996. England batted first. India used the overcast conditions to perfection as their seamers took four quick wickets in the afternoon session to grab the upper hand as England slipped to 144 for five at tea on the first day. Resuming after lunch at 39 for one, England lost opener Alec Stewart for 20 early in the session and then a dramatic middle-order collapse saw them lose three wickets for just nine runs.

Stewart and first Test centurion Nasser Hussein, who went to the wicket with the total on nought after skipper Mike Atherton fell for a duck, put on 67 runs before the recalled opener left a big gap between bat and pad and was bowled by Javagal Srinath.

Hussain became the first victim of Saurav Ganguly, making his Test debut in place of the injured Sanjay Manjrekar, when he was brilliantly caught at the second attempt at second slip by Vikram Rathore for 36.

Graeme Hick spooned a simple catch to Srinath when he was on one, also off Ganguly, and Ronnie Irani managed just a single before he was bowled by Venkatesh Prasad to leave England at 107 for five. At tea, Graham Thorpe was on 47 and Jack Russell 21. From 107/5, Russel (126) and Thorpe (89) batted well to put score at 344.

The Indian innings received early blows. Openers, Vikram rathod (15) and Nayan Mongia (24) departed early. From there Sachin and Sourav steadied the innings. However, Sachin too got our on 31. Azhar (16) and Jadeja (10) too fell in quick succession. It was left upto the two debutants, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid to steer India out of the crisis. Rahul unfortunately got out at 95.

Sourav as the 10th player in world and 1st Indian player went on to score a century in Lords at debut. Finally, he was bowled out at 131 by Mullali. India scored 429 in their 1st innings reply. The match eventually ended in a draw.

The time had come!

The Indian Team dressing room had greater overcast conditions than the English weather. It was a prelude to a storm. The squad of 1996 sans Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar, had Navjot Sidhu as the only senior cricketer. A cold war was going on between Azhar and Sidhu. Sidhu was continuously being provoked by the “yes-men” of Azhar like Jadeja and few others, with the tacit support of Azhar. Finally Sidhu could take no more. He returned to India, in between the tour and announced his retirement. That gave rise to a series of criticism and controversies back home.

Sourav’s inclusion had raised a lot of eyebrows. Cricket pundits across the country had already cried foul, and pronounced his selection as an evil outcome of political lobbying in BCCI. He knew his window of opportunity will be very small. But, somewhere deep down he knew the opportunity will surely come.

The touring side started off by playing five matches against the county cricket sides. Sourav did not get a chance to play in the 1st match. In the remaining matches against NCS XI; Wistars, Glostershire, and Susex; Sourav wasn’t able show any outstanding performance. His best score was 64 n.o. in the second innings against Glostershire. This innings earned him praise from Richie Beno.

The 3 match one-day series against England started. In the first match England batted first and scored 291. In reply, India was 16 for 5 at the end of 17.1 overs when it started raining. The match was abandoned. England won the 2nd One day by 6 wickets. Sourav was not in the playing XI for the first two matches. He got a chance to play in the 3rd match, where he scored 46 runs. India lost the 3rd match as well by 4 wickets.

Sourav was selected in the playing XI for the 1st Test Match. In this match Sachin scored a brilliant century (122). But, India lost this match as well to the Atherton team by 8 wickets. By this time Navjot Sindhu has returned back to India. Sanjay Manjerekar was sent as a replacement. Vikram Rathod after scoring some impressive knocks at the start of the series had also begun to fail. Above all, the Indian team was plagued by injuries. Manjerekar injured his thumb in the practice matches. Left with no other option, the team management was forced to play Sourav and Dravid in the 2nd test match at Lords.

Sourav knew the time had finally arrived. This was the opportunity for which, he had waited for four long years. He remembered the words of Arun Lal and Mike Stuart. The opportunity to settle all scores had unexpectedly come knocking. It is now or never!

The Metamorphosis

Days went by...so did months...and two years passed by. During, these two years Sourav had not known any beyond the Gymnasium and cricket ground. He was focussed on his goal...and was expending all his energy to hone his cricketing skills. But his mind wasn’t at peace. Often the Australian tour haunted him, making him restless, and desperate. He couldn’t but free his mind. It was still burdened with scepticism.

In 1994 Sourav went to England to play the County Cricket. He got a chance to play in the minor county, for Brondsberir. He had been here before as a member of the Kailash Ghatani team. He was at school that time. Those days seemed golden to him. The present however was different. What was missing...he wondered sometimes. It was perhaps happiness.

In such a time Sourav met Mike Stuart. Mike’s passion was cricket, and profession – psychology. Mike knew that something very heavy was blocking Sourav’s way...which he was not able to remove himself. He needed Mike’s help. One day Mike Stuart told Sourav,

“Enjoy the game of cricket, my dear boy”
Sourav, looked at him surprised. Mike smiled and replied,
“You seem surprised, aren’t you? Look, your talent is beyond all doubts. The wait is only for an opportunity. Remember, to settle all scores when you get that opportunity.”

Sourav, remembered Arun Lal. He had said the same thing.

Interactions with Mike Stuart brought about a sea change in Sourav’s state of mind. He understood that the battle must be won in the mind before it can be won on field. And the key to it is to relax, and not be desperate. Chance will surely come one day, to settle all scores. However it is more important is to enjoy the game, than settle scores. Pressure of expectations, are part and parcel of every sphere of life. But, if one doesn’t enjoy what one is doing, he is surely too burn out.

The change that Mike Stuart could bring about in Sourav can be best explained by another incident in his life.

He was playing club match at Kolkata. Sourav was fielding in the deep. Suddenly someone from the spectator threw an orange at him. The orange hit him and fell on the ground. Sourav was surprised and hurt ... but now he knew how to answer back better!

He juggled the orange with his feet and like a football...lifted it on to his thighs ... then lobbed it up and caught it. He then peeled it, and ate it up! Seeing the Maradona, feat, the gallery burst into applause. This was a different Sourav!

Another two years had passed by. In these two years, Sourav kept on playing domestic matches. Although his performance was not the very best, it was nonetheless respectable. It was 1996, and the selection were about to meet for finalizing the Test Sqaud for England. Sambaran Banerjee, the ex-Bengal Ranji team captain had become the selector of eastern zone by now.

Sambaran Banerjee was determined to put Sourav back in the Test squad. He knew that he would face stiff resistance from Md. Azharuddin. After all Azhar had managed to do away with him 4 years back, and under no circumstances he would accept his resurrection. Sambaran Banerjee did all the necessary ground work. He took the advantage of the quota system of selection. It was simple deal with a majority of the selectors ... you back my candidate and I back yours! Inspite of Azhar’s steep resistance, Sambaran got Sourav in the initial selected list of players.

However, the resistance was not all over. Few people know that he was almost being dropped after his name was initially finalized by the selectors for the trip! There was a dispute among some selectors trying to push a player but there was no vacancy. Some selectors then suggested that Sourav’s name be struck off to accommodate this player. It was then BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya intervened and threatened to adjourn the meeting. The final list of players for the England tour of 1996, had the name – Sourav Chandi Ganguly.

The Darkest Days of Life - Shattered

Mornings are a reflection of one’s state of mind. And when the ego is bruised, self confidence is shattered, mind is filled with remorse and haplessness, future too bleak and fearful; every morning seems to be an ordeal in which one wakes up into, with sleep seeming so distant yet so cherished. The gloom and darkness all around suddenly seems to engulf one, draining out every bit of adrenalin from the veins. It seems too inevitable to slip into the vast emptiness, and stare at the ceiling endlessly.

Sourav was passing through such a state of mind, after the Australia tour of 1992. It was supposed to have been ‘the moment’ of his life. His first Indian cap was supposed to be recognition of his potential and hard work. Sachin had done it. So had Kumble and Kambli, his fellow mates from the Kailash Ghatani U-19 team. But, what did he get? Slander and sarcasms, false allegations which inspite of his best efforts, he was unable to refute. Even before he could get a chance to prove himself, he was stigmatised and discarded forever. The chasm before him seemed to colossal to cross, and his dreams of becoming a Indian cricketer seemed to fade out beyond those high walls!

It seemed too tempting for him to slip into the vast abyss of hopelessness. But, the rebel within could not be reconciled with. He was vehemently protesting and was trying too hard to turn things the other way round. Something within him was making him too desperate to break the wall in his way and prove the whole world wrong!

The world is always too cruel to the vanquished. It derives sadistic pleasure, by feeding on the carcass of the dead. Sourav was facing this world every moment. Wherever he went to play, a group of people would flock together to hurl abuses at him. Then one day he lost his patience. It was the Eastbengal vs Mohanbagan match at the Amar Ghosh Tournament. A section of the crowd was constantly abusing Sourav. The 20 year old lost his composure. He hit back at the spectators by making improper gestures. That added fuel to the fire. The next day, the incident was made the headlines in every local newspaper. Everyone said that the younger son of Chandi Ganguli is just an arrogant waste. He has brought bad name to Bengal Cricket.

Another incident worth mentioning was the Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Haryana. Haryana had scored given a steep target to Bengal. Bengal was in pressure, after losing some quick wickets. Sourav was batting, with a determination and desperation to prove his point. Suddenly, there was a miss and a strong appeal from the Haryana players. Umpire declared him out. Sourav’s desperation got the better of him. He vehemently protested against the decision. This provoked the spectators and within a moment, the situation at Eden Gardens turned extremely unpleasant. An infuriated Kapil Dev sarcastically signalled Sourav to bat again, and said, “Bat karr..dekhta hoon kitna bada player bann gaya hain tu”. The controversy was savoured well by the media and junta at large! It made big news in all the Newspapers.

During this bad phase in Sourav’s life, Arun Lal stood by his side. One day he asked Sourav, “Maharaj, why are you behaving like this? A cricketer should always be calm and composed in every situation. Have you forgotten that?” Sourav looked up, in silence. His eyes were desperately seeking help.

An experienced Arun Lal, comforted Sourav, “Have faith in yourself. You are too young, with the whole life ahead of you. Don’t rush and be desperate. Wait for the right time, opportunity will surely come. And when it does, grab it with both hands and prove your point. But, you need to prepare yourself for that day. I believe you shall be a great cricketer one day. I believe in your potential”.

Sourav's eyes lit up. He perhaps desperately wanted to know only this .. that someone still believes in him.

Explosive News from the KKR Camp

Even with the worst performance in the history of Indian Premier League, the KKR camp is never failing to gather the media bytes (for all wrong reasons, though).

Latest in the series of incessant controversies (thanks to Bookha Naan and Phoren Babas), Ajay Jadeja has revealed a sensational news from the KKR camp in a private news channel. Jadeja said that the foreign coaching staff members of the KKR team are ill treating the Indian cricketers. It was also alleged that racist comments were being hurled at an Indian cricketer. The cricketer was asked to come out of the field, by a coaching staff member. When the cricketer questioned him, the coaching staff supposedly replied, “You Indian ... do what I say.”

Jadeja stated with conviction that there was a divide in the KKR team and Indian players are not being treated well. Speculations are being made that Jadeja had got this news from one of the Delhi based cricketer currently playing in the KKR team. Among the cricketers from Delhi are Ishant Sharma, Yaspal Singh and Akash Chopra.

What started with Sourav’s removal from KKR captaincy, has resulted in a complete polarisation in the KKR camp between the foreign players (excluding Masrafe Murtaza) and the Indian players, with the Indians at a receiving end.

Wonder what Shahrukh is thinking ...... “Picture abhi baaki hain mere Dost!. Galat sahi kuch nahin hota...News mein bane rehna chahiye baas!”

Bravo K-K-King K-K-Khan! You deserve a standing ovation!

Disclaimer: Article based on the news published in Ananda Bazaar Patrika on 12th May

Destiny's Step Child - Controversies

Sourav has always been destiny’s step child. As his legendary skills, his bad luck has also been way apart from the rest. The series of malicious propaganda and controversies which a 19 year old budding talent had to endure was never heard in Indian cricket before, and shall possibly be never heard again.

In the words of Sourav, “The controversies which arose during my Australia tour had left me completely shattered. It was told that I had reminded the team management that my nickname is Maharaj, and that I won’t bring water and towel to the field (as a 12th man), since such work is done by Ramu servant at my home. I belong to a good family, and it was extremely difficult for me to withstand such things..”
Some of the major controversies which had hit headlines during that time were:
1. Sourav’s attitude was like that of a Maharaj. He doesn’t want to practice, nor was he interested in carrying his own Kits Bag.
2. One day, when Sourav was looking for someone to carry his Kits Bag, a frustrated Kapil Dev carried his bag to the team bus
3. He refused to bring water and towel to the field as a 12th Man.

These rumours spread like wild fire. They were reported in all leading newspapers across India, including Kolkata. Sourav did not find any support from anywhere, not even in his home state. People and media believed the propaganda, not contesting or disputing for a moment, that it was the same Sourav who toured England with Kailash Ghatani, and no one complained of his attitude before. No one suggested that all these were perhaps master minded by one of the most crooked minds Indian cricket, who had put the cricket to shame through his nexus with Bookies and betting – Mohammed Azharuddin.

A 19 year old, who had just started his international career with big dreams and promise, was thrown out, denied of a fair chance, humiliated and maligned. At 19 years of age, when you and me, was perhaps in the first year of our college life, another promising teenager was subjected to acute stress and humiliation, malign and slander from all quarters, and even his home crowd.

There is an old saying in Russian that one has to pass through fire to become steel. The fire of humiliation, and agony which had burnt Sourav for four years, from 1992-96, is what made him what he is – A phoenix who can rise from ashes, again and again and again!

1992 Australia Tour

The Indian Squad was declared for the Australian Tour of 1991-92. The players named were, Md.Azharuddin (C), Ravi Shastri, Kapil Dev, K.Srikanth, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Prabhakar, Kiran More (W), Venkatpati Raju, Sourav Ganguly, Javagal Srinath, Subrata Banerji, Narendra Hirwani, and Chandrakanth Pandit.

The first opportunity to play came very soon, in the India vs Australia Board XI match. Board XI batted first. In 50 overs they amassed 254 runs at the loss of 6 wickets. In reply, India could score only 225 runs at the loss of 7 wickets. Jeoff Marsh hit a century in that match. Dilip Vengsarkar was the highest scorer for India with an unbeaten knock of 58 runs. Sourav couldn’t perform in that match. He got out at 2 runs only.

Sourav didn’t get a chance in the playing eleven for the subsequent match against West Australia and the 1st Test at Brisbane. India lost the first Test at Brisbane. Before the 2nd Test Match, India played a 4 days cricket match against Queensland. Sourav got a chance again in that match. India batted first and scored 450 runs at the loss of 9 wickets. Sourav batted 5th down and scored 29 runs, before getting run out. He didn’t get an opportunity to bat in the second innings. That was the last match Sourav Ganguly played in that Australian tour. He was dropped from the Indian Team soon after returning to India.

A young cricketer, like him was rejected without giving him a fair chance to prove himself. And worst, his stay was marred by false allegations and controversies which left a deep scar in the mind and heart of a 19 year old.

Sourav - Selection to the squad!

Sourav, as we all know, is a left-handed batsman though he is a natural right hander. He converted to the southpaw stance at a young age so that he could use his left-handed brother, Snehasish Ganguly's equipments.

During the year 1989-90, Snehasis was at his peak form. Out of the 6 Ranji Trophy matches he played, he scored 439 runs with two centuries and finished with an average of 73.16. He was in the radar of the national selectors.

Sourav with his back to back brilliant performances in the U-19 tournaments was also knocking the doors of Bengal Ranji Team. The main problem it seemed was replacing someone. Since all the players were performing well it would have been unfair to replace anyone from the Bengal team with Ganguly.

He finally got his call in the Ranji final match. And fate it seemed was not without a sense of irony. The man who made way for Sourav in the team was none other than Snehasis Ganguly, his own brother. While entry in the Ranji team marked a beginning to Sourav’s career at the senior level, the dropping of Snehasis simultaneously spelled the beginning of the end to Snehasis’s career as well.

In the 1991 Duleep Trophy match against West Zone in Guahati, Sourav hit a tidy knock of unbeaten 124 runs. This innings earned him a place in the Indian Team, for the 1991-92 Australian tour, under the captaincy of Md. Azharuddin.

U-19 Tournament - A fighter is Born!

There was an absolute lull at the Wankhere Stadium of Mumbai. The spectators were shocked and silenced at the suddenness of the gory occurrence. Although the Stadium was less than half filled, it was still a record turnout at the U-19, India Pakistan final test match.

Sourav walked into the green arena, circling his arms to pump in the extra blood into the veins. He could see the previous batsman being helped out of the field. For a second Sourav’s eyes met his face. It was full of blood! Sourav, looked the other way....he tried to focus on the 22 yards.

He walked into the crease. But, what he saw gave him the second bolt. There was blood patches. Sourav tried to cover them up with dust. His wasn’t scared but he felt really bad for Jatin. He looked at the umpire and asked for guard. At that moment, he heard the Pakistani wicketkeeper shouting out to Liyak, the pacer, “Come on Liyak. Isshe bhi le lo. Yeh toh darr se kabu ho gaya”.

The first ball was a bouncer. Sourav ducked. The wicketkeeper shouted again, “mar le mar le! Sabash Liyak! Yeh darpok ko marr le!” Sourav’s jaws tightened, face steel like and eyes determined. He is not a coward, and he will prove that to the Pakistanis, as well as teach them a lesson for what they had done to Jatin Paranjape, the Indian skipper.

He decided to take the attack back to the opposition. The fast bowler was running towards him. Sourav, fixed his eyes and mind on the red ball only!

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Sourav’s consistent performance at the U-19 Bengal team, earned him the attention of Kailash Ghatani. Kailash was an ex-cricketer, who selected a team of promising players every year, and took them to England. In 1988-89, Kailash’s team for England included, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly. To play in England’s weather and conditions is always a challenge for any batsman. And it is said that only class and quality can survive on the 22 yards in England.

The tour turned really well for Sourav. He was the second highest scorer in team, after Vinod Kambli. His performance in England earned him a place in the U-19 Indian squad for the 4 test match series against touring Pakistan team, under Moin Khan’s captaincy.

In the first test at Feroz Shah Kotla, India won by 3 wickets. The second Test at Kanpur and the third one at Rourkela ended in a draw. The final test match was at Wankhere, Mumbai. Pakistan batted first and scored 348 runs. Moin Khan was the highest scorer with 159 runs. Among the Indian bowlers, Jayedi and Kumble took 3 wickets each, while Ashish Kapoor and Paranjape took the remaining 4 wickets.

The Indian innings started. The Pakistan fast bowlers, Naim and Liyak were breathing fire down the Indian line. The Wankhere pitch had become lively, and the fast bowlers were exploiting that to the best. Ajay Jadeja, got out on 12, holding out to Moin Khan in Naim’s delivery. The other opening batsman Kaderkar got out on 3 as well. Jatin Paranjape and Agarwal, was at the crease with the score board reading, 22-2.

Liyak was bowling continuous bouncers to Jatin, as he was seemingly uncomfortable with those. Suddenly one good length delivery from Liyak, bounced on to Jatin’s face. Jatin tried to save himself with the bat. The ball took the edge, went on to hit straight on Jatin’s face and lobbed off to close-in fielder’s hands. Jatin was down on the ground. His face badly bruised.

Sourav, took the fight straight to the Pakistani camp. He was hitting every bowler and scoring runs fluently. Agarwal, fell at a personal score of 38. Bhupinder Singh and Anil Kumble fell in quick succession as well. But, none of this could deter, the Sourav tornado. He kept on hitting the bowlers at will. He got into a good partnership with Biswal. Together Biswal and Sourav pulled India out of the mess. In that innings Sourav Ganguly scored a century!

A small Break!

It's early morning .. the usual morning! The birds are busy chirping. The crow is perhaps bullying them from time to time, with its harsh and authoritative crowing. He does it every morning and the little birds seems to have got used to him. Our 'garbagewala' is blowing his whistle somewhere near.

I was late from office yesterday. We were busy the whole day, over a story! At the end I did realize something. If two people write a story, it becomes Sholay! If a thrird one adds his mental inspirations to the boiling broth, it turns into "Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag"!

Coming back to the point! Drained out of all motivations, I was not quite able to motivate myself into, continuing with the motivating story of Dada, and hit bed a bit early. But, today morning I was really amazed to see all the hits on the Blog, and the comments on the Blog. I also had one new follower added.

Thank you everyone, who have visited the Blog and left comments. Thank you Partha, Neel, Sarika and Anonymous for adding as a follower.

Tonight, I shall post the next story - "U-19 tournament - the discovery" in the series of unheard stories on Dada.

As of now, I shall end on an optimistic note. "KORBO LORBO JEETBO RE" - KKR. I am not sure how much they have done, or how much they have fought, but I am sure that they have not won. So on an optimistic note, I was trying to calculate how can KKR still go through to the Semis! And I have come up with the right scenario. Its simple, with just 3 "Ifs" -

1)"If KKR wins all the remaining 6 matches, AND

2)RCB looses 5 out of remaining 6 matches, wining the only one with Delhi DareDevils, AND

3)Most Importantly, remaining teams DRAW all the matches between them"

KKR can finish as the 4th team to the semis. Bookha Naan, you may get inspired. Thats what I call going a step beyond optimism, its Utopian! Seems they ought to shift the venue to Cherapunji!

Hahahaah...

I have to sign off now. Will see you all later.

tata.

Cricket – Here I come!

It was a lifetime dream come true for little Sourav. He could see none other than the legendary Vivian Richards before him, walking past him with a majestic. Some yards away, it was the little master Gavaskar, facing ‘Paaji’ Kapil running to him like an express train.

Little Sourav was awestruck. He had taken so much risk by lying to his parents for this moment...Suddenly a cold wave ran through his veins, freezing him to the ground. He saw his father Chandi Ganguly walking towards him. He knew, he was caught ...................

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On Sourav’s 14th Birthday, his uncle gifted him a cricket bat. The 14 year old, held the bat and felt a strange sense of power and pride. It was a SG Cricket Bat, used by many legends of his time.

Though Sourav still considered football as his passion number# 1, he was slowly but steadily moving towards cricket. He was already playing for his school cricket team. Less than a year later, he was selected for the Under-15 Bengal Cricket team.

It was 1987. West Indies was touring India. After India’s historic win at the ’86 world cup, the West Indians had a score to settle. Eden Gardens was hosting one of the test matches. A day before the test match, cricketers of both teams were practicing at the nets in Eden Gardens.

It was a great opportunity for Sourav to watch his revered icons in flesh and blood. Snehasis was going to Eden. Sourav wanted to go with him. But the problem was that he had school the next day. He knew he would never get the permission from his parents to miss the classes. What would he do? After thinking hard, he got an idea. But it would be immoral and too risky as well. Finally the temptation to go to Eden got the better of him. He went to his parents and convinced them that the school had declared a holiday, the next day. Unsuspecting his parents happily allowed him to go to see the team practice with his elder brother.

But, luck was not with his side. No sooner had he gone to Edens the next morning, his classmate came to house to call him for school. Everyone was shell shocked. They could just not believe that Sourav had lied to them all. Chandi Ganguly asked everyone to take the incident lightly. He asked Sourav’s mother, to pack his school bag and uniform, and headed for Eden gardens.

****************************************************

Chandi Ganguly did not scold, nor uttered a single word to the already scared and ashamed Sourav. He asked him to wear his school uniform, and straight away headed for school. While all the while Sourav was repenting for his act, his father knew that young Sourav had started developing an irresistible passion for the game!

Source: Inspired by the Book, “Saurav” by Shantipriya Bandopadhay

The Great Match!

Don Bosco Lilua and St.Xavier’s Kolkata, were the two cut throat competitors in the annual school football match. It was like Brazil playing Arzentina in the World Cup Final, where enthusiasm and emotions ran very high, in an environment which became most electrifying. But, it was mostly Don Bosco Lilua who lifted the trophy. And beating Don Bosco was always like a much cherished dream for the Xaverians.

Saurav was in the St.Xavier’s team as a striker. He knew that Don Bosco was a better team, but just could not accept the fact that his own team members were mentally prepared for a defeat already. He went up to Snehasis and asked him:

“Dadabhai, why are we so much afraid of Don Bosco?”
“It happens when you get defeated continuously,” Snehasis replied.
“But why should we get defeated again and again. Why can’t we fight back? Underdogs do win, don’t they? Look at Cameroon. If they could stop Argentina, why can’t we stop Don Bosco?”
“What will you do?” Snehasis asked.
“All I can do, Dadabhai is to score goal, and I will only try my best to do that. I won’t ever accept defeat before the last whistle is blown.”
Marvelled at his bro’s attitude, Snehasis caringly remarked, “But, remember you will alone have to fight in the beginning.”
“I will, and I will also make others play, just like Maradona or Majid does”.

Saurav’s inspiration was Maradona and Majid Bascar of the East Bengal Club team. He also donned a No.10 Jersey like them.

The D-day had come. The match between Xaviers and Don Bosco had started. Surprisingly Xavier’s managed to score the first goal and managed to keep it 1-0 for the first half of the match.

No sooner, had the 2nd half started Xavier’s faced a series of attack from the Don Bosco strikers. They tried their best to defend, but attacks were incessant and a leveller seemed impending. Finally at the 65th Minute of play, Don Bosco scored a leveller. It was 1-1 for the two teams now. This triggered an even fiercer attack from Don Bosco, trying to take the lead. Xaverians managed to hold on like this till the 90th minute, and the match went into extra time. Both teams were exhausted but were ready to take on each other for the final few minutes.

Saurav, was playing in the Centre Field, when suddenly somebody passed the ball to him. In a flash he started rushing to Don Bosco Goal with the ball, dodging mid fielders and defenders one after another. He came near the goal post, lobbed the ball with his left feet and hit a hard volley with his right.... The goalie missed it completely and Goaallllllllllllllll !!!!!!

Xavier’s won the match, 2-1.

The inborn ‘never say die attitude’ in Sourav was metamorphosed into a strong self belief, by successes like these, in his childhood. Much later in his career, he was able to infuse this self belief into an ailing Indian Team, in the post Azhar, bribe scam hit era; and transform them into a bunch of fighters who were ready to take on Giants on their own home turf.

....... to be contd.

Source: Inspired by the Book, “Saurav” by Shantipriya Bandopadhay

The Way to Lords - The making of Saurav Ganguly

Lordie, Dada, Prince of Kolkata ... no matter whatever you call him, Saurav Ganguly is best described as the Phoenix, the Fighter who has risen to glory from impending oblivion, again and again!

But not many are aware of the making of this great fighter of Indian Cricket...the stories of his early years! Henceforth I shall dedicate much of this Blog space in the honour of Dada, and retrace his path from childhood to his debut at Lords.

The Passion for Football

Cricket has been in the blood of the Gangulys. Chandi Ganguly, father of Saurav was a 1st class cricketer himself. Later on, he became a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) official, along with managing the family business. Chandi Ganguly always dreamt that his two sons, Snehasis and Saurav will play for India, like Surinder and Mahinder Amarnath. Although Snehasis was dedicatedly playing cricket for school and club team, to fullfill his father’s dream, young Saurav, was living in the world of Football.

During this time his uncle got him a pair of Reebok shoes from Singapur. This was the most precious possession that little Saurav had and would spent hours donning them before the mirror, and gloat in glory.

Saurav loved to play football more than anything else. He was a regular player in St.Xavier’s School football team. An amusing incident happened. Saurav’s parents decided to have a Bengali tutor for him. His tutor would come in the evening, for the classes soon after Saurav returned from school. Young Saurav was very upset at this. Evening was the time for him to kick the football with his para (neighbourhood) friends, and no way was he going to study Bengali sacrificing football. But he was too scared to revolt, before his parents as well. After some hard thinking he came up with a strategy.

He went up to his tutor, and told:

“Sir, can I ask you something?”

“Yes, go on.”

“You seem too tired after your day’s work. Even I come exhausted from school. Why don’t both of us take some rest, before we commence with our studies,” Saurav suggested.

“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea. Its true we both get very tired, after day’s work”, his teacher observed thoughtfully.

“That’s great Sir. You rest at my room, while i shall go upstairs and take a nap. Then we can start afresh”

Gangulys were a joint family with a palace like mansion. So it was not possible for the family members to take much notice if someone quietly sneaks out of the house. Thus every evening Saurav would hit the football ground, while his parents thought that he was studying in his room.

... to be contd.

My new resolution - Sick with KKR

Another predictable but most disheartening loss for Kolkata Knight Riders against the Mumbai Indians. It seems Mc Cullum was injured... he didn't keep wickets and came to Bat at No.6. Bravo Skipper! He surely belong to those species of leaders who lead from the back! Full Score to the Phoren Babas (Mathew Mott & Buchanon) as well for accurately screwing up in every match.

Buchanon was caught on camera signaling to Mc Cullum (perhaps), that it was the END, soon after Hodge's departure. And it is truely the end of Knight Riders IPL Dream! The only solace for 'King Khan' is that he now would not have to spend money in buying the return tickets to South Africa.

Fake IPL Player it seems, is also runing out of newer ideas and sensations. He is mostly likely to fade out with the KKR as well.

But, the show must go on. And I have decided to dedicate most of this blog space for our only hero in KKR team - Dada!

More Nicknames Decoded - from the last blog of Fake IPL Player

One more Blog from the Fake IPL Player, and few more trademark names! I have decoded them, and are as follows:

• Boy George: Joy Bhattacharya, for sure. He is the ‘Team Director’ of the KKR, responsible for team management. All he manages therefore is to throw some management jargons from time to time, and do some blogging for KKR website.
  B.t.w, guess what’s the academic qualification of Joy Bhattacharya? He is a Maths graduate, and has done his Masters in Computer Application from Jadavpur University.
  According to USA based IT expert Vivek Dwivedi, the language used in ‘fakeiplplayer’ blog and its style-sheet suggests that it’s not something done by a common cricketer. The Blogger has decent knowledge of information technology and that’s why he hasn’t used any gadget that can reveal his identity.If the Blogger truely is from the KKR team, then Joy Bhattacharya seems to be the most qualified of the lot!!! This is just a food for thought.
• Gilly Danda: Seems ‘Danda’ is derived from ‘Dinda’..which makes Ashoke Dinda as our Man .. err ..sorry..Knight, in question.
• Little Sister: What makes Fake IPL Player blogs so special is his ability to throw up little hints at ‘masala’ stuff from time to time. Sheikh (Shane Warne).. “settling for Little Sister. It's not known yet whether the issue has been nailed or not.” Haha… No doubt Little Sister is Shamita Shetty, sister of Shilpa Shetty alias Big Sister
• Mangal Pandey: LR Shukla is the only man left out. So its a choice by elimination and not selection. I am not sure what made Fake IPL Player name his that, apart from a few hints that he fancies himself as skipper for the next season!
• Style Bhai: This has to be Murali Kartick. The choice is for two reasons: (i)Style Bhai is a spinner, as evident from the Fake IPL Player’s blog (ii) He is a heck of a stylist, with ear studs et al.

John Buchanan ('Bookha Naan') Interview on KKR!

Here is what John Buchanan had to say to Ananda Bazaar Patrika reporter, Gautam Bhattacharya. The interview appeared in Sports page of the Daily on 29th April’09. I am attempted an English translation of the interview and have inserted my personal comments in parenthesis below.

Interview:
Q: It is believed by many that removing Saurav from Captaincy has been unfair, and led to the bad performance of the team. What is your logic behind removing Saurav from Captaincy?
A: It is not a personal decision taken due to a personal prejudice. The decision was taken in the interest of the Franchisee and its future.

(My comments: Amazing how far sighted Bookha Naan is! Want to know the power of his Glasses!)

Q: That is fine. But, why was there so much delay in change of Captaincy? And why was there so much mystery surrounding it. It has all been done at the very last moment. Even Mc Cullum must have faced much problem, at the late appointment.
A: Although we initiated the process pretty late, I am sure that this is the best combination possible.

(My Comments: Bookha Naan could have kept the truth pretty short and simple by saying, “Well, I got this dream (Multiple Captains) very recently”)

Q: Where is the evidence on Field? Do you still have any hope of going into the Semis?
A: Ya, we have. If we can win 6 out of the remaining 9 games, we still can reach semis as 2nd or 3rd team.

(My Comment: Now you know why Bookha Naan spends all the time with his Lappy. He tries to calculate the numbers in MS Exel.)

Q: You had said in Kolkata, that there shall be four Captains in the KKR team. We haven’t seen any such thing yet. There is only one leader – Mc Cullum
A: Multiple Captains is not what I meant. I meant Multiple Leadership. Mc Cullum is surely the Captain, but responsibility for setting the field is shared by Hodge and Gayle. Batting Order is decided by Mathew Mort. I didn’t deviate from what I said, did I?

(My Comment: Johnie, haven’t u ever learnt in your Nursey class, the proverb, “Too many cooks spoil the broth”? Time to go to school, Johnie.)

Q: So you are saying that you haven’t decided the Batting Order in a single Match, still?
A: No. The entire thing has been decided by Mathew. We have a good understanding.

(My Comments: Amazing! So what are u getting paid for? Dreaming of combinations and learning MS Exel?)

Q: Tell me something frankly. Why is KKR passing through such horrible time? Australia never reached a similar state in your tenure as Coach?
A: Australia passed through the same, many times. Didn’t we loose the Ash’s series? This team has done so too much of hard practice. That is making them stiff perhaps. We must be more relaxed and be able to control the first six overs of the game.

(My Comments: Well the real reason of stiffness is your presence Mr. Buchanan and member of Buchanan Foundation. It is natural to become stiff for normal people, if they suddenly find themselves in an Asylum, controlled by bunch of mad buffoons!)

Q: You had the best success rate among coaches. You have now got a blot on your record.
A: Haa! A T20 tournament result cannot tarnish my record for Team Australia. The sole goal of a Franchisee should not be to win matches only. It should aim at building a strong foundation for the future, by balancing the present with future.

(My comments: Wonder who was the last Aussie, to become a Philosopher from Cricket Coach and when? Think think..... It was Greg Chappel, just before he got the BOOT from the Indian Cricket Team.)

Q: What is Shahrukh, saying?
A: He is backing me extremely well. The help I am getting from the Franchisee is unprecedent.

(My comment: One advice for u Mr. Coachie. Never forget Shahrukh’s main profession. He is an Actor. You must have seen his acting skills soon after you announced your multiple captain theory, when he backed Saurav on Media and you behind closed doors! So whatever you do, Mr. Coachie, never allow him to get at your back. You never know what can happen!! Hope you got the message.)

Q: All said and done, if the team fails, you shall be the one in the Firing Squad. Does this thought occur to you?
A: That is a part of the system. If the system you built is of no use to the franchisee, I shall have to go. There is no way out. The bullet shall come and hit you. That is the condition of the job.

(My comment: I just pray that it is not a bullet that sends you out, but a kick to show you the door.)

Q: Last one. When Gayle leaves, do you think Ganguly should open with Mc Cullum?
A: I am not thinking of that right now. Hodge can also open.

(My Comment: Speak the truth Coachie. You should have said, “I am following a NO GANGULY policy, since Greg is my idol and I don’t care if I have to meet the same fate.”)


DISCLAIMER: The above is just a translation of the interview that appeared in Ananda bazaar, on 29th April’09. My comments within the parenthesis are solely my personal opinion.

Prime Suspect!

Well.. what makes one commit crime? As crimonology states:

• A strong motive which makes one outweigh any cons
• Ability to execute the intentions
• An opportunity to allow the intentions to be carried out.

Out of all the names making rounds as suspects, Ranadeb Bose seems to be the hot favorite.
The foremost reason being the interpretation of Fake IPL Player's own blog, where he writes about himself:

"Well, i am the perennial no hoper. In fact, the only time i had hope was when i played for my school. They thought i might make it to the test side one day. Well, made it to the ranjis, but never beyond. And this time round, am part of the ipl. Actually, i am not too sure why i am here. The team's full of super stars and all i do it bowl a bit, bat a bit, and field like a maniac. But, there's one thing i do very well. Serve drinks. And that's what i am expecting do in south africa. As i said, i am a no hoper. And have no hopes of getting a match in ipl."

The Blogger identifies himself as a Ranji Player, who coudn't make it bigger than that. A all rounder, but not a prolific one. In the team his position is mostly that of a 12th Man, who carries Drinks.

The Motive, ability and opportunity theory with some flexibilities, suits too well on Randev:

1. Ranadeb was hardly in the playing 11 in IPL Season - 1, and dropped soon after that. This time he left KKR and joined Kings XI. So his grudge against the KKR team is high placed. Particularly, the number of characters in his Posts from Kings XI Punjab is only next to that of KKRs. e.g. Appam Chutiya, Prince of Patiala, and Bubliee.
2. When the Fake IPL Player, uses sarcastic names for almost all the characters, he only uses initials for Ranadeb Bose (RDB).
3. He holds the world record of bowling 10708 balls in first-class and club games without over-stepping. Although at one point of time in his career, Ranadeb had raised a lot of hope, he couldn't eventually deliver and go bigger than the Ranji Squad.
4. Ranadeb has done his schooling from St. Lawrence High School Kolkata and completed his Graduation in Commerce from St. Xaviers College, Kolkata. The blogger, Fake IPL Player, no doubt has a good command over english.

This co-relation however seems bit too obvious! As a layman like me could also draw links to Fake IPL Player and Ranadeb. But question remains as to why Ranadeb would risk his career, by continuing to write the Blogs even when there is so much 'hulla gulla' in the media. He cannot be so lame!

So is it someone, who would enjoy, if Ranadeb Bose gets framed? Or is it an unintended link up by junta, which the real Fake IPL Player had perhaps never thought of?

Will time ever answer these questions, or shall this get into the IPL History books as the greatest unsolved mystery.

Nicknames Contd.

I have unravelled the mystery of some more nicknames used by the mysterious blogger, Fake IPL Player. The are as usual utterly hilarious and apt. Listing them down again alphabetically with my own explanation.

• Akram Azam: Kamran Akram
• Baja of Baroda: Anshuman Gaekwad: Is it because he hails from Baroda? Not sure
• Bevda Team: The Royal Challengers Bangalore: The owner a daaru wala ... and his team, full of bewdas (bevda)!!
• Big Mac: The BIG Mathew Hayden ...
• Bookha Naan: Buchanan - A loser Man!! Don’t want to waste my words on him
• Chatterjee Kaaku: The Old Uncle from the Ad posted by the KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) Team where he says ‘Tum Bhi Jeetoge’... perhaps the lone soul .. hoping for a KKR win!
• Chintu Singh: Anureet Singh: Is Chintu his probable nick name? Cute name
• Ganji Hanger: Sanjay Bangar - Hanger and Banger does sound similar, doesn’t they? And Ganji Hanger, well perhaps I am not aware if a dedicated Ganji (vest) hanger exists and even if it does, it would surely be the most odd piece of furniture in one’s room
• Joker: Chang (The nepali guy) who was Indian Idol host... b.t.w. what is he doing here...hosting reality shows, along with Saddy Babe?
• Little Monster: Sachin Tendulkar: Aptly named!! Our very own little Monster (Master)
• Peter Ka Beta: Kevin Pietersen?
• RDB: Ha! .. thats the prime suspect .. Randeep Bose who many think is the real person hiding behind the name “Fake IPL Player”! (I shall dedicate a full post in the honour of our prime suspect)
• Shakespeare: Akash Chopra: Remember the famous dialogue, “et tu Brutus?”.. Had Shakepeare written it today, the dialogue could have probably been .. “Bloody Shahrukh”... Akash Chopra has an old classical style of playing... and in today’s era of 20-20 fast modern cricket he truly looks like having hailed from the Shakespearean era
• Sheegra Patan: ‘Patan’ seems to be derived from Pathan. And Yusuf Pathan doesn’t generally believe in hanging on the 22 yards for too long. He scores fast and falls fast as well. So rightly name as Sheegra Patan (Fast Fall).

So thats all the names i could list down as of now. Happy Blogging.

Post Mortem Begins - "The Internet Connection Ban" !!

Well lets get on to it!

On April 21, Fake IPL Player wrote that "In Cape Town. Laptops hv bn banned. I'net removed fm rooms. But posts wl continue thru SMS, relayed by my bro in India" .. I made a quick search on the Internet .. but was not able to find any confirmed news on this .. lot of other sites and blogs have just referred, reiterated or quoted what the Fake IPL Player has already stated...

However, I have come across a news report from in Bengali Daily, "Anandabazaar" published by the ABP Group on 24th April, where a very senior reporter reporting from Cape Town and staying in the same hotel as the players confirms in clear terms that there has been no ban on the internet or laptop use for the Kolkata Knights ...

Now lets look at some other facts and try to analyse them independently ... on 21st April the whole team of Kolkata Knight Riders were put up at the 5 star Hotel - One & Only Resorts (http://www.oneandonlyresorts.com/flash.html) along with IPL players belonging to other Franchisees (as reported in Dawn) ..... A quick check for the amenities provided by One and Only Resorts from their website reveal that the Hotel provides Wi-Fi internet connection.

Hence Mr. Fake IPL Player, how is it at all possible to selectively block Wi-Fi access for some guests and not for others, staying at the same hotel !!!!!!!!

And had that been truly done, don't you think it would have been a sensational news for all news hungry journalists out there, hiting the headlines of all 24x7 news channels of our country, and not just remain confined to your Blog only?

A quick reference index of the most innovative Names!

One thing is for sure about the Fake IPL Player .. he has astounding ability to come up with abosutely innovative names of fictious characters with resounding similarities to the real life icons and a Disclaimer of course!!
Here in the Blog, I shall first list down all the names used by him and possible reasons of naming .. with a Disclaimer of course that "ALL NAMES REFERRED HERE ARE BASED ON ANALOGIES DRAWN FROM THE CONTENT OF THE BLOG FAKEIPLPLAYER.BLOGSPOT.COM"

Well here we go alphabetically:

• Appam Chuthiya: Sreeshanth – The first part ‘Appam’ refers to a Mallu .. the second part to perhaps refer to his character in the views of the Fake IPL Player
• Badshah Dildo: Shahrukh – Well we all know him as Bollywood Badshah, but badshah dildo? U must allow creative freedom to bloggers
• Bangla Tiger: Mashrafe Mortaza from Bangladesh or Bangla!
• Big Sister: Who else other than the Winner of the hyped reality show Big Brother – Shilpa Shetty
• Bublie: Preity (Pretty) Zinta – self explained :)
• Calypso King: Chris Gayle – Really looks like a King from Carribean Islands
• Coachie: Buchanon – Pretty obvious
• Hawai Chappal: Greg Chappel (Chappal) – Hawai is perhaps to highlight that whatever Greg Chappel said/ says is all in “Hawa” .. nothing concrete
• John Wrong: John Wright (Right) .. use of paradox
• Junta Tormentor: Ajantha Mendis – Not sure if by Junta he meant players or spectators .. for spectators he is surely a Junta Treat .. for opposition players he can surely be one hell of a tormentor
• Kaan molu: Ajit Agarkar - Is it for his large ears tempting the beholders to give them a twist?
• Kishen Kanhaiya: Ravi Shashtri, perhaps for his much rumoured flirting kissas!
• Little John: Ishant Sharma who is not ‘Little’ at all!
• Lordie: Saurav Ganguly – perhaps because he has an Lord like attitude as well as associate with Lords very fondly. Who would forget his shirt waving histrionics at the Lord’s balcony or his century at test debut
• Meera Bhai: Harbhajan – Bhai is derived from Bhajji perhaps
• Mr.Batlivala: King of Bottles – Vijay Malya
• Pedophile Priest: Adam Gilchrist – Seems likely, but not sure what made Fake IPL Player give this name!
• Phoren Babas: The Support Staff of KKR – Mathew Jones perhaps
• Prince Charles of Patiala: Yuvraj Singh – A modern Punjabi with a princely attitude!
• Ram: VVS Laxman – Adopted perhaps after Lord Ram’s mythological bro – “Laxman”
• Sheikh: Shane Warne – His rumoured desire to build a 'harem' for himself!!

Oops that a long list, that provide only some of the names. Shall provide facts to explain how the Fake IPL Player misguided all of us into his own version of illusions, in the next blog!

Till then Tata.

Who am I?

I am one of those ‘000s who have been intrigued by Fake IPL Player Blogs..Having followed all his blogs i am kinda divided..while on one hand I am full of admiration for this blogger's creative writing skills & style..on the other I feel that faking as an IPL player and ridiculing some of the cricket legends of our country, is totally unethical..So I am trying to pull some facts from other sources and stitch them with analysis to refute what the Fake IPL Player has been harping for so long!