"We're not losing in the last over" - Sourav Ganguly

[darkknight]

The pain was writ large all over his face. Sourav Ganguly was trying to come to terms with another defeat in the last over (against Kings XI on Sunday), but it was evident that he was struggling. In fact, he has seldom looked as troubled as he did on Sunday evening.

"We're not losing in the last over, let's make it very clear...We're losing the matches much before that," Ganguly told TOI, trying to settle down in his hotel room in Port Elizabeth. He picked up the remote, switched on the TV, it's Mumbai Indians playing Royal Challengers.

But Ganguly's mind was somewhere else. "Painful, this is painful," he said, the disgust coming forth. "The nature of T20 cricket is such that results will only happen in the last over. So don't bother about close finishes," Ganguly sounded frustrated.

A section in the team believes that Ganguly's tactical acumen is not being used as much as it should have been. Even in the last over in the game against Kings XI, when his inputs could have been vital, he was banished to deep third-man. There's discontent within the team with the way Brendon McCullum has led, but Ganguly tried to defend the skipper.

"A captain, at the end of the day is the captain. He has to take the decisions, no one else can take decisions for him. When I was the Indian captain, I took decisions, Rahul did, Dhoni does," Ganguly said.

The southpaw explains how difficult the role of the captain was in T20 cricket. "This game is much faster than the other forms. There's no way a skipper can refer to others all the time. This is not Test cricket," Ganguly's theory was in direct contradiction to coach John Buchanan's multiple-captain concept.

The coach told the TOI the day before that the southpaw won't be used as an opener in the tournament. There are members in the team who don't like the decision and many believe that Ramesh Powar wouldn't have escaped with eight runs off two overs if Ganguly was opening.

Ganguly, though, refuses to be critical. "These are things for you guys to notice, I'm not the right person to take a call on this," the former India captain said.

It was around this time he glanced at the TV and saw Anil Kumble running in to bowl. "Just see the way he is bowling...And he is 38!" he quipped.

"Kumble's 38, Warne's 40, Hayden's 37, old men are not doing too bad...Class tells at the end of the day," Ganguly made a point.

Isn't he the only senior who probably hasn't done that well? "I can probably do better. But I think I have played a couple of decent knocks."

However, he has no illusions about Knight Riders'chances. "It's extremely difficult, let's see what we can do." If things don't improve, will he still be playing the next IPL? "Why not?" he snapped back. "I am a player and I will fulfil my contract."

It's to be seen whether he gets the chance.

Source - http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.c...ow/4484047.cms

[agantuk]

Originally Posted by darkknight

It's to be seen whether he gets the chance.

Whatever that line meant, I take objection to it. He will play for sure. And not for the money.

[River_Panthera]

I don't like this interview at all. Everything about it sounds wrong.
It doesn't sound like Sourav either, it feels like they have exaggerated his reactions to their questions/comments

[darkknight]

Sometimes, try to believe media for a change. Conditions are bad, players can't claim to be in positive state coz if they do then that's when they are faking.

[abhi_jacko]

Hmmm I agree with rjsrk ... it was a strange, depressing interview.

If Ganguly is really that depressed, or if it is the media at its best, I would never know.

[darkknight]

Let me put it this way, we, here, get so mad and angry when KKR loses in a close match.

What would you think happen to players after so many defeats in a row? Will they be celebrating? No! It doesn't matter what management or coach says, condition of players is really bad. I wonder if any of you here participate in sports in real life, even at a small scale.

Losing match after match is depressing, believe me.

[Reena]

^ Are you a sportsman?

[River_Panthera]

@darkknight yes I have played sports actually. I was captain in fact of my table tennis team in high school. And I certainly know how tough it can be to lose especially to lose closely.
I was also a member of the rifle shooting team.

I don't play TT anymore, cause i'm not really into playing sports competetively much- i just like playing them for fun- I realised that when I wasn't even enjoying my wins.

Besides, why are you taking this personally, I don't blame you for the article at all. In fact thank you for posting it.

[darkknight]

Yes, I've been playing cricket (nothing big) and following it from a long time and I can understand how they feel.

@rjsrk

Nope, I'm not taking it personally lol. It's just that you people discard every negative news, even if it's true. It's time to accept the truth.

[Shereen]

I agree with rjsrk.

I don't think players specially senior ones like Ganguly will give away his depression mood like this. I am sure he was sad and did these comments, but as usual I think TOI addED few words to his responses. That's nature of TOI/ MM/ HT/AT from long time, that's why I only belive video interviews.as SRK said, no smileys in written interviews and according to briiliant twisting habbit in latest media, we can rarely see the EXACT truth of the meaning of words.

[savvygirl02]

TOI has been terribly anti-SRK with regards to the IPL so I wouldn't be surprised if there's been a lot of masala added to Ganguly's interview. There's definitely editorializing going on in that piece - "The pain was writ large all over his face", "the disgust coming forth", etc - so we know that the reporter isn't really interested in writing an objective story.

But having said that, and even if only half of this piece is actually true, I still have a message for Ganguly - and apologies in advance to his admirers - grow the hell up!

It really isn't as if he's been performing so well that he has the right to criticise the rest of the team! If he focused on letting his bat do the talking, perhaps some of the matches needn't have necessarily ended with a defeat for KKR.

But more importantly, I wish Ganguly would be more of a team player. Buchanan's unlikely to leave before the season's up and MacCullum is captain - accept it and get on with life.

I've read at least one other news story where Ganguly was less than forthcoming in his support for MacCullum. With all the negative press the team has been receiving and the fakeiplplayer nonsense, it's Ganguly's duty as a senior player to lead by example and put on a show of unity before the public so that discontent within the team is minimised and they can solve their problems internally. I can't help but compare the interview with this one that Chris Gayle gave : http://www.shahrukhkhan.org/srkvb3/s...ad.php?t=40204 (see post number 4). What a world of difference in the tone and attitude! Ganguly has to realise that he's only hurting the team more with all his sulking.

[Shereen]

^^I agree with you with the all the respect for Ganguly and his fans.

Look at Rahul dravid's behaviour and dada, I don't know, I clearly feel the difference.

[agantuk]

^ Look at Rahul Dravid's record as a captain, and look at Dada's, you will clearly feel the difference

[Bonita_SRKFAN]

some of you guys make some good points on here
I don't know how much of this is true but I feel that Ganguly feels that since he is this senior player and Kolkata loves him so much blab blab....he thinks he is too big and bad and too good. He acts like a person that isn't much of a team player and rather wants to be the leader(captain) and since he can't, he doesn't care much. I love the Chris Gayle interview...its was so positive but this interview.....thats my opinion

[agantuk]

History is proof that people who give the other cheek when slapped are more popular and reverred than those who give two slaps back for one. Ganguly's case is the same. That he could get under the skin of the Aussie team - yes, they were a great team once - and give them back their own medicine is credible. Steve Waugh, one of the greatest components and leaders the game has ever seen, and probably also one of the most hated - still hasn't forgotten.