If love, anger, bravery, mirth, compassion, aversion, amazement, fright and calm are the 'nava rasas' or the nine emotions that as per ancient Indian theory of aesthetics a quality work of art must evoke, then no modern cricketer comes close to Sourav Ganguly.
Nobody can make fans and foes alike run through the gamut of emotions as the former Indian captain. Even in the Sunday night game, he first aroused laughter and loathing among KKR fans as he ran back to drop a catch in the outfield that strictly belonged to teammate Aakash Chopra. It was typical of Ganguly to shout at the hapless fellow fielder when the mistake was his own.
And then as his solo endeavour to sign off on a winning note looked futile with wickets falling at the other end, the KKR captain turned into an object of pity. In fact, at one point, his apparent refusal to move into fourth gear prompted commentators like Arun Lal to wonder why he was delaying the onslaught for whatever it was worth.
The unthinkable happened thereafter. Despite all the shocks that Ganguly has let loose on his unsuspecting fans since his fairytale international comeback in December 2006 - beginning from a half-century on a savage Johannesburg pitch to a double century against Pakistan in Bangalore to a match-winning but already forgotten 87 against South Africa just six weeks ago in Kanpur - few were prepared for the way he batted, smashing an unbeaten 86 off 53 balls, admittedly with Umar Gul in stellar support.
on his unsuspecting fans since his fairytale
international comeback in December 2006
But as the crowd swiveled from amazement to euphoria at Eden Gardens on Sunday, Ganguly remained the quintessence of cool. Facing up to Irfan Pathan and in need of 15 runs off six balls to clinch an unlikely win for the Kolkata Knight Riders, both his face and demeanour were a picture of Buddhist calm. The former India captain looked at peace with himself and with the world.
And that was surprising even to his most ardent fans. In everything he had showcased on the field and off it, Ganguly was never known to be a man of calm. Intense, abrasive, passionate, fidgety, yes. But calm and peace? No. And yet there he was displaying the one emotion - tranquillity - that no one thought he possessed. No wonder, Pathan came out second best.
Perhaps therein also lies the key to the former India captain's enduring all-India popularity. His ability to engage and his gift to surprise. Ganguly's cricket persona is like a good Alfred Hitchcock film; you never know what lies at the end. When he was exiled from international cricket in 2006, Ganguly's quest wasn't just about regaining his place; it was also about winning back respect. Perhaps it was the sheer audacity of his endeavour that his private battle for redemption touched a nation-wide collective chord.
"Ganguly was never known to be a man of calm.
Intense, abrasive, passionate, fidgety, yes.
But calm and peace? No
Which is why when he smashed 91 against Team Hyderabad - besides taking two wickets and two catches in probably the most comprehensive all-round IPL performance in a game, the entire crowd clapped, making a mockery of the home and away league format.
Which is why he could work the crowd to such frenzied levels against Team Bangalore at home. 3-0-7-1 with the wicket of Rahul Dravid speaks a lot about Ganguly the bowler. But it doesn't capture an iota of the great human theatre that the KKR captain stirred up that day.
For many old guards like Ganguly, cricket's shortest version was meant to be a process of de-mythologisation. It was meant to expose those too old, too unfit and too over the hill. Too bad they never realised the elegant southpaw is too unputdownable.
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