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Journalism of Courage
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly today said a huge burden has been taken off his chest, after he scored his maiden Eden Gardens Test century. Having scored all over the world, but not at his own backyard, it was indeed a heavy burden. Today, a near-capacity Eden applauded his efforts as he reached the magic mark, stealing a single off Danish Kaneria. He punched the air and stood with his bat and helmet raised. “This is my highest score at Eden Gardens. So I think it is also my best performance here. It feels nice to score a hundred anywhere and scoring it at home makes it even more special,” he said after today’s play.
“…This century will definitely bring a sigh of relief with it. If I had to end my career without a century here it would have been very disappointing. A burden was just taken off my chest today,” he added. “Well I did get some sleep. I just wanted to play according to the merit of the ball and not bring any undue pressure on myself. And the second new ball also helped. It was much harder and you get full value of your shots when the ball is harder.”
About tomorrow, he said: “I think even tomorrow it will be a good batting track, but it will definitely deteriorate from the fourth day. With 600 on board with three days of play left, you are expected to win a Test match. Both Anil (Kumble) and Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) will have a crucial role to play.” Ganguly also assured that Zaheer Khan would be fit to bowl tomorrow.
He was all praise for Wasim Jaffer. “I have always been a big fan of openers who play their shots. I liked Virender Sehwag’s style of batting, now it’s the same with Jaffer. He is willing to play his shots and that helps you to cope with the pressure.”
Impressed by Shoaib Akhtar’s commitment, Ganguly said: “He didn’t look fully fit yesterday, but today he bowled well. He is Pakistan’s premier bowler and he showed great determination to play in this game after being so ill for the last couple of days.”
He added: “It will be a decisive game here. On the fourth and fifth day, the pitch in the subcontinent becomes very unpredictable. It breaks, takes turn and there is uneven bounce,” he said.
Lawson supports Akhtar
• On Akhtar:
Shoaib bowled 25 overs and his commitment on the field was excellent. You can never say whether the decision to pick him was right or wrong. The decision was taken at the last minute and I always tend to back my decisions.
• On Pak’s injury woes:
Probably we only had five fit players at the start of the game. But we have to play. Test cricket is all about rising up to the challenge, no matter whether you are sick or injured.
• Taking a dig at Ganguly:
I think we got him when he was in single digits and then there were other numerous close calls. Hope we do have a bit of luck the next time we are playing.
(ENS)
