Prince's glorious era comes to an end

He is not merely the Prince of Kolkata, but the Prince of Indian cricket too. Daring and dynamic, Sourav Ganguly had lifted Indian cricket to greater heights.

Age and a dipping average had obviously started to stare at him and Ganguly has timed his retirement with the perfection with which he plays his flowing drives on the offside.

In fact, it was towards the end of his captaincy his form began to desert him. And lost his place in the team after skirmishes with former Indian coach Greg Chappell. Yet, he staged one of the greatest comebacks of Indian cricket after being totally written off.

Ganguly's strength has always been his daredevil approach. His nickname Dada, which means boss, was nothing but a reflection of his character. He always held his head high and did not leave it to the selectors to end his career.

A fighter to the core, he has always delivered his goods when the chips were down. Time and again he proved his critics wrong, especially those who questioned his batting techniques. As a captain he was not a great tactician, but he proved to be a winner through his ability to inspire his players.

Look into the eye

If it was Kapil Dev who transformed India into world champions, it was Ganguly who turned them into world challengers. He inspired his players to look into the opponents' eyes and walk with their heads high.

The controversial waving of his shirt from the Lord's pavilion to celebrate India's victory over England in 2002 did upset many traditionalists. But Ganguly revelled in such acts of challenging tradition and authority.

The only thing he failed to challenge was his age and deteriorating physical fitness. And the lobby that was keen on showing him the door capitalised on these two handicaps and quickened his exit. Although he was treated shabbily towards the end, he may still walk off with a winning knock, reminding everyone why he is called Dada.

How do you rate Sourav Ganguly as a cricketer? Did Greg Chappell play a decisive role in his career? Or has his personality designed his career path? Fill in the form bellow to send your comments.