Remember the last time Aussies played at Nagpur?
Dada had to pull out of the match due to a health problem, and everybody accused him for running away from his responsibilities. The media, BCCI and people criticized him so much! It was also taken as the point of DADA's fall!!
Recently, Adam Gilchrist also criticized DADA for it, he was the stand in Captain in that match and he said that when he asked Dravid about Sourav, he didn't get a satisfactory reply! So much had happened at Nagpur!!
Don't you think this was the perfect way to settle all scores with Aussies, media, and BCCI as a whole? DADA's final befitting reply! That's how I take it! And more so when India won the match (The last time they lost it like tame lambs.. without DADA)
A perfect platform. What say guys?
Its almost a year I have stopped watching ODIs. I cant see the Indian team without DADA. I didn't watch a single match in 2005-2006 when DADA was not there.
I have done a couple of things this time.
- I visited the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Day 3, 4 and 5 of the 1st test match(Luckily, DADA was fielding just infront of me near the square leg boundary.). Every time DADA would look towards us, we would chant "DADA DADA" and he'd wave at us at times.
- I took a photograph everytime he came our way (check out my album pics on Orkut)
- I kept as souvenirs the 6/4 board that I had, and also the tickets. In fact it was the last time I'd visited a stadium for watching a test match. Yes, with that I have stopped watching test matches any further. SACHIN may be the GOD of Cricket, but DADA is my Universe, my entire cricketing interest started in 1996 with DADA, and I can't think of cricket without HIM. I always looked up to him as a source of inspiration. He did a lot in shaping my career as well!! I am grateful to him for that for being my role model!!
-I took printout of all articles about DADA, published recently, kept all the paper cuttings
I'm biased, entirely biased, and Cricket means Sourav Ganguly for me. I don't care if Sachin keeps scoring runs, for me, I have also retired from watching 'international cricket'!! Since 1996 I had maintained a diary where I had noted all commendable performances of DADA. I still have that diary with me, and those days will remain in my memory forever!
I still cant forget staying awake at night and watching the Sahara cup, the 4 MOM awards, and the MOS award. I hated Harsha Bhogle initially for criticizing DADA, but later, was elated to find out that he had started eating his own words. DADA always made his criticizers eat their words, he believed in performing with the bat and not saying things outside the ground.
At one time DADA was scoring good runs against Srilanka. He scored 109, 99 (At Nagpur!), 173 in a series (where he was also the MOS). At that time people started calling him "SOU RUN" Ganguly!! he got out at 99 in a match, the same day Greg Blewett of Australia also got out on 99. I still have that special moment written in my diary!! I have followed every innings of DADA since he came in 1996. I started liking cricket because of DADA, I never watched before that, although I might have watched a few WC 96' matches, but the interest really grew around DADA.
Just felt like sharing these with you guys. I am very sad. I am sad that I wont watch DADA any more in the international scene, I cant think of missing his sixes! Those dancing-down-the-track and hitting-over-the-bowler's-head ones.
I still cant forget his 183 at Taunton. I will never ever forget his 239 at Bangalore, and I am happy that I was a part of the crowd when he scored that.
Dada! You will never retire from my heart! Never ever.
