The Third Innings

"To play the pace ,forget the pace " was the advice given to Sourav Ganguly by his then-mentor-now-coach Greg Chappell ahead of the Brisbane test in 2003. What resulted was a gem of an innings which set the tone for a famous test series. His belligerent knock of 144 on the green top at Gabba still stands as the best test innings he has ever played till date ,not only for its importance in that test but also considering the fact that he made it under the conditions which was not suitable to him, as per his critics.Vulnerable to pace and bounce , they say about Sourav's batting which was again put into test by a more severe conditions at Wanderers recently . Not sure, if he had Chappell's advice in his mind, he came out successful ,scoring a valuable 51* to become the innings top scorer in a low scoring match. He might not have been as dominating as in the previous case,but this 51 is no less in its importance for the team and much more significant in his own career. He came to South Africa to prove a point that he is still among the best batsmen in the country and not a spent horse . By scoring that gutsy 51* under the typical anti-Ganguly conditions , he did exactly that. Scoring valuable runs for the team ,silencing the critics and boosting his own confidence ; all were accomplished with that 51 odd runs.The message is clear , the Maharaj has set his foot firmly on the crease again. If you have learned to cook maggy noodles based on the time he spends in the crease( as some prank e-mails say),you may better turn to the recipe books now!.

The same series of thoughts would have gone through his mind when he took the guard in Lords in the summer of 96. Amidst of all controversies regarding his selection, he was about to begin his second innings of his international career. Critics were vocal till he score the hundred and they became his fans once he did the same in Nottingham too. As in the Wanderers, his main focus on that day would have been to prove that the selectors were right.

Cricket, especially batting, is a cruel game .It hardly forgives your silliest mistake that you make.Whether you are an opener or tail-ender ,scored a hundred or just came to the crease ,if you commit a mistake ,your chance in the game is almost lost . If it is a test, you may get a second innings to come back. But in any case a third innings is out of question. Sourav is presented with this extra ordinary gift by the selectors . Hope he would realize this and make full use of it till he wants to retire.