India vs. Australia (again) in India. One major announcement and one fantabulous achievement. The first being Sourav "Maharaj" Ganguly announcing that he is going to retire from international cricket after this test series. One of my favorite players of all time and one of the awesomest captains India has ever produced. A fighter to the core and an 'arrogant' one for the opposition. All those in India (and some around the cricketing world) who were against Dada all these years showed some respect when he announced his retirement. India probably relished his captaincy than Saurav did it himself. That was evident in the way the country responded to his leadership and his ability to get the players motivated.
July 2002, at Lord's he showed why to "Never Give Up". India chasing 300+ in the final against England. He set the tone with a blazing 60+ score and then left the responsibilities to Yuvraj and Mohd. Kaif to nail the English in their own backyard. Stuff legends are made up of. If cricket ever had a Hall of Fame, then Sourav would be in there because of his contributions to Indian cricket. One of the deadliest opening combinations in ODIs along with Sachin Tendulkar, it was a treat to see them bat together and score 100s at will. I could write a lot more about Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, but I will leave it at that and for others to cherish their own memories about one of the greatest captains from India and the sweetest offside player ever!! Rahul Dravid once said, "On the offside, first there is God and then there is Saurav". What a compliment to a player who has given his all for the greater good. Thanks for all the memories, Mr. Ganguly.
Time to talk about the Master Blaster who just became the highest run-scorer in Test cricket. 12,000 runs. Wow. Superb, elegant and always classy. The king of Indian cricket, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. He is the highest run-scorer in ODIs as well. 16,000 runs. I always thought he is going to finish his cricketing career earlier than what he himself would have in mind, but he proved everyone wrong. There were times when I thought that he was being given special treatment by the selectors, but time and again he used to come up with crucial knocks that would put all the nay-sayers away. There are thousands of stories and memories about Sachin that I could write about, but you know them already. All I can say to him is Thank you Sir, you have been a great ambassador for Indian cricket and may you score at will and retire gracefully rather than being dumped by the same selectors who have backed you over the years.
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