‘One of the best knocks I’ve played’

Sourav Ganguly’s 87 should be marked with an asterix in the record books...

Sourav Ganguly’s 87 should be marked with an asterix in the record books — and a few lines on the pitch and the bowling attack to put things in perspective. This wasn’t just another half-century, nor one of his many century misses.

Post his comeback, Ganguly has scored many stylish runs, including his first double-hundred. Today, in a match that had many illustrious names, Ganguly came off as the best of the lot in the worst of conditions.

That’s probably why he referred to Saturday’s 87 as one of his best Test knocks. He said that in a subdued tone though, as the press conference had started with him being reminded of his dismissal at the fag end of the day. With Ganguly running out of partners, and South Africa taking the new ball, the end of the Indian innings seemed close. That’s when he resorted to some desperate measures and got caught in the covers off Dale Steyn.

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But the 87 he scored seemed far away when he walked in to bat. Dravid and Laxman had just been dismissed by brutes from Morkel and the pacer looked capable of running through the side. “I had decided to stop worrying about the explosions. If you think about the delivery that goes through the top, you will get out to normal deliveries. It’s important to think about the normal balls all the time,” he said.

The other way out on this pitch, according to Ganguly, was to attack. “The key was to hit the ball and keep the scoreboard ticking. My idea was to play the ball on its merit and get a bit lucky,” he said.