This week marks the end of an illustrious career of a man who has shown us how you can reach great heights with focus and determination, will power & grit, passion and humbleness. Rahul Sharad Dravid, the greatest ambassador for the game of cricket and perhaps the best cricketer the world has seen. If ever the history books were willing to lend a page to jot down the achievements of someone it would be for Dravid. LEGEND in a true sense.
Goodbye, Sir!
“The Prince Of Kolkata” as he is fondly called by all his fans Saurav Chandidas Ganguly surprised everyone last week by calling it time to quit. He declared that the Australian series would be his last. Even if this is his last series he will always be fondly remembered. Who can forget a cricketer who had passion,fight,aggression and desire both on and off the field. Named the King Of Comebacks, he is surely one man i would always associate with the word COMEBACK. Thrown out the Indian Cricket team after a spat with the then team coach Greg Chappell, he showed resilience and patience(i can never forget the PEPSI ad which featured him just before the world cup) and after 16 long months proved all his critics wrong once again!
The video ad by PEPSI featuring DADA:
He is one of the finest or should i say “THE BEST” captain India had ever produced. He captained India for a record 49 matches and led them to victory 21 times which is yet another record. Of these 21 victories 11 came in foreign soil which in itself is a special distinction for any captain. He captained India to almost the pinnacle of glory in the 2003 WC. How can anyone forget the “Payback” incident. Here are pictures and an extract from a local daily that stresses the importance of that act.
The Payback
If you ever wonder who provoked this reaction, this picture will answer all your queries.
The Incident that deserved the Payback
Which captain would give an eye for an eye, i can’t name many since there are really few of them and Ganguly would top that list. If it wasn’t for him the present Indian captains won’t be half as aggressive as they are now. Such was the impact of Saurav Ganguly.
He was insulted again and again by the Indian Cricket Board, was dropped on numerous occasions accusing him of the most dubious of things, but still it was always dada who bought glories to Indian cricket everytime. History repeated itself many a time when he was at the helm of his career and captaincy. If ever there was a “Maverick” in the Indian cricket team, worthy of our respect for exactly those qualities, then it had to be Saurav Ganguly.
This is the story of a Phoenix who emerged from the ashes. Once it was almost declared that his career is was over but he was back in the team. He made a comeback yet again and repeated the history of his own comeback in 1996 after being dropped in 1992. He surely is the king of all comebacks. His comeback is an inspiration not only to his fans but also to his critics.
DADA-A FIRE THAT BURNS FOREVER IN THE HEARTS OF MANY!!!
WE WILL MISS U DADA…
Rajster's Ramblings 