The case of the ball zipping through between Sachin Tendulkar’s bat and pad thrice in the recently concluded two-Test series against New Zealand has sparked a big debate whether age is catching up with the master batsman. There was also a suggestion from a former star batsman that he was “naturally slowing down” due to age. A long time opening partner to Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, however, dismissed all such notions. “He will combat this and respond in a fitting way,” the southpaw said.
“I have not seen any slowness in him. It’s not the first time he has been bowled. It has happened even when he was at his peak. Back then he found a way, he is going to do it again,” said the former India captain soon after delivering his speech at the 4th Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture to a large and august audience that included former India stars Madhav Mantri, Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Bapu Nadkarni and Sanjay Manjrekar at the Bombay Gymkhana on Friday evening.Ganguly stressed: “I’m sure he will combat this and come back and play well. This (criticism) has hurt him and he will respond to it. Having played with him for so long, you got to believe he’s not over. When he goes, he will go out on a high, like it should be for every player and more so for the great man.”
About how Tendulkar could be back to his best, Ganguly said, “He has in the past used One-Day cricket to stay in focus for Tests. But it’s upto him as he knows his game better than others. He’s not getting any younger. He can’t play all forms of cricket. I feel he should concentrate more on Tests.”
Earlier, in his speech, Ganguly also dismissed the notion that the T20s were threatening Tests. “Twenty20 has taken off but Tests are here to stay. I believe that all the three formats of the game are here to stay. We are in an era where Test cricket is questioned, there is talk about day/night Tests too. There are bigger challenges therefore for a modernday player. But I feel the best, like Kevin Pietersen, will adjust to all forms,” said the suave Ganguly.
Whether the shorter formats were hampering India’s progress in Tests, Ganguly said, “While big players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have retired, Indian cricket has made rapid strides forward. Players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara make me believe that Indian cricket is in safe hands.”
Trying to emphasise the utility of different formats and the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ganguly stressed on the importance for a young player to not get swayed away. “Security (financial) is important for a sportsperson, but it is far more important to play for India. A hundred in Tests is much bigger than playing in the IPL. There is also a lot more satisfaction and recognition.”
On being a candidate for the Indian coaching job, India’s most successful captain skirted the topic, saying “My hat is not in the ring.”
When one chats to Ganguly, how can one not talk about his thorny relationship with former India coach Greg Chappell? “He (Greg) was fantastic to discuss batting one to one. But on a lot of other things, I did not follow him,” he said, inviting laughter.
Ganguly would be following India’s progress in the World T20 as a commentator. On India’s chances, he said, “India had won the World T20 in 2007 and then the bigger World Cup in 2011. You cannot win the World Cup all the time. T20 is a hit and miss game. But under MS Dhoni any Indian team looks like winning a World Cup.”
About his captaincy stint in IPL V with Pune Warriors, Ganguly lightheartedly said, “It is much easier captaining India. I’ve never answered so many calls before and after a game (to team owners). I chose to keep my phone switched off.”
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