I feel like Samir from Dil Chahta Hai (DCH), Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli being the Sid and the Akash of my life. Er, okay... there is no evidence that they are actually Akash and Sid or ever were, but in my cricket universe, I’d like the two cricketers I adore most, to be just that. Friends. Why am I Samir? Well, it’s my cricket universe and I am the boss of my fantasy world!
Remember that poignant moment from the iconic DCH when Sid and Akash have a fight and Samir is torn between the two? I have been in the same dilemma since December when Rohit Sharma was made the ODI captain. There were undercurrents for sure and for a fan like me, who has cheered hoarse for both Ganguly and Kohli, it was a bitter feeling. Kohli’s “explosive” press conference that followed Rohit’s crowning was a red flag. And, finally it hit me like a giant wave on Saturday evening, when Kohli announced his decision to step down as the Test captain, his statement so heartfelt that it brought tears to my eyes.
“Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now”. You could sense he was bleeding from inside and as a fan, it was a sinking feeling.
As a layman, I would never know what went wrong. My knowledge is limited to newspaper reports, which indicate all’s not well. There are already anti-Ganguly sentiments and the trolling has started, pitting Kohli against Ganguly. As a cricket fan who, like billions, worships their cricket gods, this just doesn’t feel right. I don’t in fact want to know went awry and just want harmony to prevail.
I fell in love with Sourav Ganguly the cricketer when I was in my teens. With Lord’s, the entire cricketing fraternity had woken up to the Behala boy (close to half a century later, Sourav will always be the ‘Behala boy’) hitting it out of the park on his Test debut, in 1996. There were stories about his days of struggle, his comeback and his relentless zeal. I am not a cricket expert but that kind of determination does strike a chord, especially in the sensitive teens. When he became the captain... oh... those were the glorious years and Ganguly, the golden boy, a part of Indian cricket’s ‘Fab Five’, an era that is to be cherished forever and is a part of cricket folklore.
Much has been written about Ganguly’s journey, the hurrays and the heartbreaks, but for me, it still remains a metaphor for life. When everyone had written him off, instead of sulking he had showed up on the practice pitch, honing his basics. He has always vouched for ability and ‘never give up’ is what he lives by. In moments of self-doubt, I still find myself searching ‘Sourav Ganguly sixes’ on YouTube. And believe me, I still feel a rush every single time he smashes it out of the stadium. And when he raises the bat, it’s a message: You can do it too!
Cricket-watching had changed since 2008. After Ganguly retired, I didn’t feel my pulse beating fast for any other cricketer. Till, Virat Kohli arrived. He brought me back to the game. A different breed altogether, Kohli was this power athlete who was just so, so good. From being just a talented boy who showed sparks as the captain of the victorious U-19 World Cup squad in 2008, he rose to dizzying heights in a fairly short span with his skills superbly complemented by fitness. He already has 43 ODI hundreds and 27 in Tests, only 30 short of Sachin Tendulkar. Mr. Consistency.
He has often said his fitness regimen is modelled on Cristiano Ronaldo and to achieve the football G.O.A.T’s body fat percentage (seven per cent) is his goal. Experts have often cited his fitness as the key to his tremendous success in all formats of the game at the highest level. International cricket, like any other sport, is relentless and Kohli has shown time and again, how fitness can sustain you from crashing out. His workout videos will first make your jaw drop and then salute him in admiration.
His temperament is that of ‘lad ke lenge’ and his passion infectious. You see those sparkling eyes and you know the intent. His aggressive attitude may have got him flak, but nothing succeeds like success. As Kohli steps away from captaincy across formats, his enviable records will be tough to match.
Ganguly, when he became the BCCI president, in 2019, told t2 in a chat: “He (Virat) is a super personality actually. I have seen him of late and with time, I have got tremendous respect for him. A lot of people don’t understand Virat Kohli. I have got a lot of time for him. He is a great cricketer. I don’t need to say that. And the discussions with him have been fantastic. I have met some great players… Sachin (Tendulkar), (Brian) Lara, Rahul (Dravid), VVS (Laxman), Anil (Kumble), Steve (Waugh), (Glenn) McGrath. But this fellow is superb. He is right up there with the best”. Over the years, he has only been full of praise for the champion that Kohli is. Both have the same feisty temperament, though Ganguly’s aggression was much more controlled, but the determination to excel, the same. So, for a fan like me, it was rab ne bana di jodi and it was only fair to expect they would team up and go for the kill.
Whatever is unfolding currently is a bummer. Only time will tell how this will play out. Will they? Won’t they? In my cricket universe, however, I am seeing it end just like how it did in Farhan Akhtar’s.
Sid: ‘Kahaan hai tu? Kab mil sakta hai?’
Akash: Aaj, abhi, isi waqt.
