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Full name --Sourav Chandidas Ganguly
Born --July 8, 1972, Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bengal
Major teams --India, ACC Asian XI, Bengal, Glamorgan, Lancashire
Batting style-- Left-hand bat
Bowling Style-- Right-arm medium
Years hence, when criticisms and controversies surrounding Sourav Ganguly are passing their days in the solitude of a quiet retirement, he will be considered one of the finest batsmen to grace the game. The standing ovation that Sourav Ganguly received when he made his debut at Lords in England in 1996, was not a mere appreciation of the 131 runs he had made, but a sincere gesture of gratitude for showing how close to poetry batting can be. The days of Sourav Ganguly's opening partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar were one the brightest moments in Indian cricket history. The duo gave India 16-century opening partnerships in one-day internationals.
Credit should be given to Sourav Ganguly for having resuscitated a fighting spirit among the Indian cricketers. He was arguably the best Indian captain whose manner of plain speaking and uncompromising attitude brought out the best from his men. Under his captaincy, India transgressed the well-preserved tradition of losing away test matches and a spirit of positive approach floated around the entire team. In 2005, Sourav Ganguly became the third batsman in the world after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam Ul Haq, to reach 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, Many refuse to see a coincidence in the overlapping of the slump in Sourav Ganguly's performance with the introduction of one bouncer per over by ICC in 2000. Armed with statistics, they destroy all memories of some of the finest innings that Sourav Ganguly played for India and the countless occasions when he sailed the team out of the storm.
Sourav Ganguly's unfortunate spat with Greg Chappell has received much publicity and precipitated endless rounds of discussions; and amidst all this, the fate of this gifted cricketer lies densely surrounded by a haze of uncertainity. Cricketscorelive.com gives information on Sourav Ganguly and other Great Cricket Players.
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Full name --Rahul Sharad Dravid
Born --January 11, 1973, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Major teams --India, Scotland, ACC Asian XI, ICC World XI, Karnataka, Kent
Batting style --Right-hand bat
Bowling Style-- Right-arm off-break
Fielding position --Occasional wicketkeeper
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000
ICC Test Player of the Year 2004
ICC Player of the Year 2004
Rahul Dravid comes as a comfort to those who are perturbed by the feeling that the days of gentlemen cricketers are a passé. Whenever Rahul Dravid plays a good knock, which is quite often, cricket no longer appears to be mere game of bat and ball. Rather it suddenly seems to acquire a long tradition and his batting becomes an elaborate ritual of exorcising the dead legends of the past. Rahul Dravid's batting technique is immaculate. His flowing drives, where his elbow rests right over steady head, his perfect square cuts and his imposing hooks, truly Rahul Dravid seems to possess all the shots in the cricket book, which seems to be authored by none other than himself. Rahul Dravid made his debut against England at Lords in 1996. Even though he was more than impressive in the test matches, Rahul Dravid was never regarded as suitable for the shorter version of the game. In fact he was even dropped from the one-day squad for slow batting. Rahul Dravid has since then bounced back and taken his strike rate to a respectable 70.60.
Rahul Dravid has scored 23 centuries, out of which five of them are double centuries. With over hundred test matches to his credit, Rahul Dravid's batting average is staggeringly close to 60. He is one of the few batsmen in the world who average more overseas than in the friendlier home grounds.
Rahul Dravid's faultless batting has earned him an apt nickname "The Wall". Presently, Rahul Dravid is putting his cool head to a good use as the captain of the Indian team. He commands genuine respect and camaraderie among his teammates. Cricketscorelive.com gives information on Rahul Dravid and other Great Cricket Players.
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