Goodbye DADA...... on your final journey

At 2:11 PM, on 9th November 2008 - history was made.And the witness to this piece of history were a billion indians, who live and swear by the name of indian cricket.And this day will live down in the history books of cricket as a red lettered day. This series has seen the metamorphosis of indian cricket from the old to the new. The guards have been changed, but the colour remains the same. The true blue indian cap has changed many a scalps overthe last few years and months. And the proudest scalp to adorn that cap was out there after the luncheon on day 5 of the last test of the four test AIRTEL Border - Gavaskar Trophy for one last and final time. This was the final time, the DADA of indian cricket was taking field in his official uniform. This was his last day and last session in office, an office that gave him his identity. As the most successful man ever to have led India into 21 test victories in the 49 tests he played as the india captain , to this day the 10th november 2008 , he has come a long way and surprisingly so in exactly 8 years. On this day 10th november 2000 Sourav Ganguly took on as the captain of a team that was recovering from the shadows of match fixing that tainted its image, and recreated TEAM INDIA. When Sourav led his boys to the 2003 world cup final in south africa, he was the closest to Kapil's 1983 dream run in England. And today when he was the acting captain of the side in the post lunch session one last time when Dhoni once again called upon his first captain to take the reigns for one last time. Sourav was like an ethusiastic debutant, making moves here and there, calling in and cheering his fielders and backing up his team. And for never did it seem that he was out of this job for almost 3 years now. But here was the best man in his official blue and white coulours ready to give his best for his first love in life...Indian Cricket. And true to his words " In the last 13 years of my career I have made many friends and enemies both within and outside the team, but thanks for taking part with me, for everything I have done , I have done for ther betterment of Indian Cricket." And till the last moments of his career that was fading away along with the afternoon sun on the Nagpur sky, this brilliant ,classy, flamboyant, successful and committed servant of indian cricket was on his final journey . With Cameron white adjudged lbw of Harbhajan's bowling that was it. And as he would have wanted it to be, it was the most fitting farewell to our beloved DADA. Indians winning the series hands down. And with a hundred in the Mohali test in this final swansong series, Sourav was all but ready and happy to go. And as it happend it were like a multiple emotions charging down my eyes and I could hardly hold them down from welling up as indian won and DADA was departing. Sitting in the cane chair I usually sit and watch my Cricket, I could feel my limbs cramping and cooling both literally and figuratively. And well withim moments as he was lifted away by his team mates and taken to the pavilion by , the DAD and DADA of Indian cricket faded from the cricket field for ever. This day would always remind me off the emotions the australians felt and flaunted in SCG in the 2003-04 test series when Steve retired the same way. Denying India a victory in the sydney test....his last one.

But with the IPL coming up in 5 months we will perhaps see him in black and golden, once again and once more. DADA u truly ROCK!!!

Long live the King
....of Indian cricket
Long Live Sourav Ganguly