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Saurav Ganguly, the Prince of Calcutta has a fan following of millions
and that is justified considering the number of winning knocks he
has played for India. His batting is the perfect blend of elegance
and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed
batsmanship. He is also a superb/ perfect timer of the ball. The manner
in which he steps out and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless
prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot. He is one of the most
aggressive Captain India has ever had and has emerged as one of the
key components of the Indian team. His ability to play shots on the
off side is special because there are very few players who can hit
the ball in that area as crisply as he does. He is an aggressive left-handed
batsman and is also an effective (right-handed) medium
pace bowler. He started his international career as a 19 year old
during the tour to Australia in 1991-92 where both his ability and
attitude was questioned. His recall for the 1996 tour to England was
severely criticised as one of the evils of India's "quota"
system. But he answered that in style by not only scoring centuries
in his first two Test innings but also capturing vital wickets to
bag the Man of the series award. Still he was considered fit only
for the Test matches because of his inability to play onside strokes.
He worked on that problem and became a household name in India after
the Sahara Cup in Toronto where he won several matches for India against
Pakistan. Besides several superlative batting performance (including
75* in 75 balls), he exploited the conditions to return some excellent
bowling figures (including 5-16). He is often criticised for his running
between the wickets and if he works on that, the way he has worked
on his leg-side then he will definitely become a formidable force
in the World of Cricket.
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