Cricket articles

Followed a link on a recent article on Wisden Cricket Asia and ran into Mike Marqusee's webpage. It has a good collection of his articles in various cricket magazines as well his opinions on varied other subjects. Most interesting was his article on Ganguly which I find to be precisely reflective of my opinions on the Indian captain. I love the fact that an Indian guy is known for his 'in your face' attitude. His record as Captain backs him up too. He may not be the best batsman in the world but he is an authoritative sight to watch when he is in full flow. What I like more about him is his ability to score one day centuries AND stay on after that till the end to ensure the job is done- a quality that, sadly, Tendulkar has not shown over the years. Everyone reflects on the efforts of Kaif and Yuvraj in the huge Natwest Trophy win, which were spectacular to say the least, against England but after I watched that match, the guy who began the Indian response to the huge English total and made it clear that it was definitely within grasp was Ganguly. The start that Sehwag and Ganguly gave that day set the momentum of the response. Another stellar example of his leading from the front was his century in the last series in Australia. The message sent during that first Test was clear-the team was there to compete AND the man considered the weakest link in the Indian batting line up can come up with a strong response. That match and the series could have been India's if not for the rain. The man is definitely ageing and my hope is that he has one more good season with the bat and as a Captain before he retires.