Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly: When the legends faced off in the ISL final

After Kolkata’s win, Ganguly was seen grabbing Tendulkar’s hands and dragging him towards the victorious team, so that the Kerala boss too could be a part of the victory celebration.

Arguably the best opening pair in One-Day Internationals (ODI), the duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have delighted the Indian fans for many years and still continue to do so. Be it Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Indian Super League (ISL), every single time either of them is shown on the giant screen, the crowd goes frenzy. Such is their fan following that they are loved, respected and worshipped. They played important roles in not only lifting the standards of Indian cricket, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) too cashed-in their popularity, on its way to emerge as a money powerhouse. Even today after their retirement, the ISL continues to do so.

Both have been each other’s batting partner for most number of times in international cricket. Having batted together 247 times in both Tests and ODIs, their partnerships have amassed 12,401 runs and have registered 38 hundred plus partnerships, which is in fact highest by any pair.

Dominating pair on the pitch and great friends off it, their camaraderie was again witnessed by fans on Saturday. At the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Tendulkar and Ganguly locked horns, as their teams Kerala Blasters FC and Atletico de Kolkata faced each other in the grand finale of the inaugural ISL.

How often we hear in India that cricket unfairly pilfers the limelight from other sports in the country, but it was delightful to see two of India’s greatest cricketers getting involved in a different sport and promoting it to the best effect. In fact, all teams that were co-owned by cricketers have fared well in the inaugural edition of the football league. The two semi-finalists were FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC, both teams co-owned by Virat Kolhi and Mahendra Singh Dhoni respectively.

While a few have criticised that the sheen of cricket and Bollywood has unnecessarily shone more than football, but in hindsight it did favour the league.

“Reception of the tournament by the country has been tremendous. Everyone has stood up and taken note of the ISL. It can only get better. People have thronged the grounds to watch matches with most venues having sell-out crowds. I come from a football city so I know how it feels to see a packed football ground but other parts of the country where football isn’t so popular are also embracing ISL. It is a good sign,” said Ganguly, the co-owner of Atletico de Kolkata, during the half-time interval.

Standing next to him was Tendulkar, his Indian team-mate, with whom he has shared some of the most memorable times in his life. On asked about the feeling of competing against each other in the final, the former Indian captain said, “Though we are in different teams, we are together for the game of football. ISL has been very competitive.”

Tendulkar, who has been quite vocal on the Indian sporting issues lately, stressed on the importance of sports and its contribution to help India grow as a healthier nation.

“It should start at grass-root level. Schools should encourage kids to take up sports at grassroots. I am not saying that all of them should become sportspersons but we can become a healthier nation this way. The idea is to identify talent,” said the batting legend.

Tendulkar, who has spoken about his friendship with Ganguly and has shared a few anecdotes about him in his autobiography – ‘Playing It My Way’, fondly spoke about their association with ISL.

“With Dada (Ganguly) it has been a sheer joy to be on the same team playing together. We have practically grown up together. But this is a different platform. This is about ISL, this is about football,” he said.

Otherwise, Saturday was another grim day for Indian cricket fans as the national team once again crushed to another humiliating overseas defeat. This time it was a four wicket loss against Australia in Brisbane as they went behind further in the four Test series 0-4. This is something the fans have now got used to as the team has lost 15 out of their 19 Tests in last three years.

However, later in the day there was some respite. The illuminating presence of Tendulkar and Ganguly brought back memories of good days when India more often than not won matches in foreign soils and times when the game was played with much more humility.

In what was a much anticipated football match, the Prince of Kolkata had the last laugh. In a closely fought contest, Mohammed Rafique’s extra time header ensured that Ganguly’s Kolkata were the first champions of the prestigious ISL.

The very moment when the winning goal was scored, Ganguly was seen celebrating with his family and friends in the stand. It did bring memories of his famous Natwest Trophy win celebration in the Lord’s balcony in 2002. Later when asked if he was planning to take the shirt off, Ganguly at his witty best replied, “No. It was back in 2002 when I was leaner and lot fitter.”

Several dignitaries like Aamir Khan, Mukhesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya, Harbhajan Singh, Leander Paes and others attended the match. While Harbhajan sported the Kerala Yellows, Indian Tennis great Paes was seen in Kolkata Reds.

As the organisers advertised it, the match was termed a clash between ‘The Prince’ and ‘Master Blaster’, but to be frank, ‘clash’ is a too strong a word. It was a tough fought contest but played within good spirits and the co-owners, Tendulkar and Ganguly were often seen playfully chatting before the match, and also during the half-time. After Kolkata’s win, in a wonderful gesture, Ganguly was seen grabbing Tendulkar’s hands and dragging him towards the victorious team, so that the Kerala boss too could be a part of the victory celebration.

That moment summed up the mood.