After first proving those who said he couldn't score runs in the
T20 format wrong, Ganguly proceeded to baffle fans and critics alike by throwing himself about in the field with the alertness of a 20 year old. Dada, as he is lovingly known, had never made headlines for his fielding, but in a crucial match for the
Kolkata Knight Riders against the Delhi Daredevils, he was brilliant in the field.
"As far as my fielding is concerned, I'm getting younger!" said Ganguly.
He was happy with the win, which saw KKR remain in strife for a semi-final spot. Throwing light on the team selection, Ganguly discovered that the decision to play Ajantha Mendis instead of Shane Bond was taken at the ground itself.
"It was a good game and it was good to win. It is always a difficult decision to leave Shane Bond out. I wasn't sure whom to play, Bond or Mendis, when we reached the ground. But then on seeing the wicket, I thought Mendis would do well. Even Iqbal Abdulla bowled well. He is a youngster and all time he gets an opportunity, he proves himself."
Sourav Ganguly praised Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, and said their wickets turned the match for KKR.
"I think we should have got 190 today. We're a bit stuck during the middle overs. Till the time
Sehwag was around, I thought they were very much in the match. He is a champion batsman and when he bats, anything is possible. So Sehwag, along with Gambhir, kept them in the match. It was only when Sehwag was dismissed that we began to sense victory. Everyone thinks they know how to bowl to Sehwag but he keeps pumping them into the stands! He is a champion batsman. Both Sehwag and Gambhir are really fine players.
"We have been playing well for quite sometime now. Hopefully, we will be able to win the next match. Every time we win one, we lose the very next game."
Delhi skipper
Gautam Gambhir gave credit to Kolkata for the win, and said that he should have ensured he stayed till the end to finish the match for Delhi. Gambhir was run-out by a direct hit via his opposite number, Sourav Ganguly.
Kolkata bowling coach,
Wasim Akram was delighted with his wards' show in front of a packed
Eden Garden and heaped praises on faster Ashok Dinda, who packed off the dangerous David Warner in the first over, and was denied another wicket when Sehwag nicked a ball behind to the keeper.
"I am very happy with the way he bowled. He runs in straightaway, right from the first ball. I have always maintained that there aren't any warm-up deliveries in this format and you need to warm up before the match, which is what he does."
