Man of the match Ganguly plays cool cat after guiding KKR to much-needed win over Chargers
Man of the match Ganguly plays cool cat after guiding KKR to much-needed win over Chargers
'What's age got to do with it,' Sourav Ganguly could well be saying to his critics after his 54-ball 88 sent defending champions Deccan Chargers crashing in the Indian Premier League.
"Everybody u2013 whether you are an international cricketer or no u2013 is under tremendous pressure in this format. So, this is normal," he said after Kolkata Knight Riders' 24-run win at the Eden Gardens.
Ganguly had a poor start with the bat in this edition of the tournament with a duck against Deccan Chargers in Navi Mumbai.
Hence, he came into yesterday's game with a certain degree of pressure. There were off-field sparks to deal with too.
Co-owner Shah Rukh Khan said on Twitter after Knight Riders' defeat to Delhi on Monday: "Time for excuses is over. Either we play better or keep being deserving losers."
How did his captain react to that rocket? The 38-year-old smiled and said: "The Twitter person is a very good guy. Why shouldn't he say such stuff?
After the disappointing performance in the last three years, there is nothing wrong in it. This is his team and he has the right to express his opinion. No, we (the team) didn't feel bad about it (tweet)."
Yesterday's 88 was undoubtedly the former India captain's best Twenty20 knock.
Nine fours and five sixes tell the tale. Adam Gilchrist put things in perspective though. He acknowledged his rival captain's contribution and also praised the opposition bowlers.
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"Sourav got the better of us. It wasn't just about one man. He played well, but the bowling was very impressive when the match was equally balanced in favour of both teams," the Australian said.
This is not Ganguly's highest in the IPL though. In 2008, he scored 91 in 57 balls off the Chargers. "Both innings are equally important as we won both the matches. So, I am happy with that," said Ganguly.
"This match against Deccan Chargers was a very important one for everybody," he said. "We won and we are now in good shape."
Yes, Sourav Ganguly and his Knights looked good yesterday.
Top Run-Getters
Jacques Kallis (RCB)
M: 7, I: 7, Runs: 362, HS: 89*, SR: 124.39, Avg: 120.66, 100: 0,
50: 4, 6s: 6, 4s: 46
Sachin Tendulkar (MI)
M: 7, I: 7, Runs: 314, HS: 72,
SR: 140.80, Avg: 52.33, 100: 0, 50: 4, 6s: 1, 4s: 47
Yusuf pathan (RR)
M: 8, I: 8, Runs: 274, HS: 100, SR: 179.08, Avg: 39.14, 100: 1, 50: 1, 6s: 21, 4s: 18
Sourav Ganguly (KKR)
M: 8, I: 8, Runs: 241, HS: 88,
SR: 113.67, Avg: 30.12, 100: 0,
50: 2, 6s: 7, 4s: 26
Suresh Raina (CSK)
M: 8, I: 8, Runs: 238, HS: 83*,
SR: 136.78, Avg: 47.60, 100: 0,
50: 1, 6s: 10, 4s: 17
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