BUKSS Cricket Fest: Himabrata Das talks with Ganesh Nandi, the man who led Ganashakti to victory

February 9: Barak Upatyaka Kreeda Sangbadik Sangstha (BUKSS) organised Jookto Media Cricket Fest, 2020 saw its logical culmination in the grand finale played at Silchar DSA on Sunday. It were the Ganashakti Media Panthers who took on the AP Dutta Press Fighters in the finals. The Panthers won the toss and elected to bat. They scored a brilliant knock of 142 runs at the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, the Press Fighters could manage only 105 runs at the loss of all wickets in 18.2 overs. Ganashakti Media Panthers became the champions of the Media Cricket Fest, 2000. Ganesh Nandi was adjudged as the Man of Match for his spectacular performance. Dr. Himabrata Das interacted with Mr. Nandi. Here is the excerpt of their conversation.

One of the most frequent regrets, I have as a commentator is the vast number of exceptional cricketers I watch perform on the ground but never to get to interact with one-to-one. I was gripped with this familiar phenomenon as the dust settled on the BUKSS Media Cricket Fest 2020. GanaShakti Media Panthers had beaten AP Dutta Press Fighters comprehensively courtesy an outstanding spell by the bespectacled Ganesh Nandi who claimed 4 for 16 stinging the opposition into submission with his meticulous medium pace. A curious search on Facebook revealed that Mr Nandi was a faculty member at the Department of Visual Arts at the coveted Assam University. My admiration for the man grew manifold. Thanks to the magic of the digital world that we live in now, a few hours later we were exchanging messages and it was a truly enriching conversation.

Himabrata Das (HD): What was the team talk before the big final? You were comfortable batting first?
Ganesh Nandi (GN): None of us are regular players. So what we thought was not to be crushed by the pressure of chasing. Our team didn’t have any star players. We knew that if we played the team game, we could beat any side…and that is how things turns out…I personally was confident about bowling 3-4 overs myself.

HD: Did you lose your way towards the end? You were poised to get to 160 at one stage.
GN: (smiles) Like I said, we’re not professionals.Towards the end, the body simply gives up. But we had spoken about 140 being a good total. And we were happy to have managed 142.

HD: Anirban and Taher were looking good when you got into the attack. Must have special getting the big fish Anirban
GN: The ball that got Anirban was a dream delivery. There was no way in the world that he could have played an aggressive shot to it.

HD: And then you castled Sanjiv first ball.That was quite an out swinger.
GN: (laughs) He simply had no clue…true…you know something interesting…I got hit on the finger early in the match…my first thought was,”God,this is a fracture!!!”I couldn’t grip the ball properly in my first over..rest of the overs, I held the ball with three fingers… couldn’t have my lunch…in fact I’m having khichuri with a spoon right now as I don’t need to use my fingers that way.

HD: Salute.You are a gritty tough nut.I hope you aren’t having trouble typing.
GN: (laughs) I need only one finger for typing.

HD: Your thoughts on Amalava? He looks a class apart. How is he in the team? Looks very motivated and enthusiastic.
GN: Very good player. Very good captain. Motivating, friendly & genuine cricketer. Takes his decisions after consulting teammates. He always gives his everything on the field.

HD: 11 wickets in the tournament. Best Bowler. Which wicket would be most memorable?
GN: Feels great… throughout the tournament, I have watched the batsman very closely. It’s important to set the right fields with adequate protection in areas where the batsman is more likely to hit lofted shots. Also good communication with the wicket keeper. I guess that has worked for me. Out of all the wickets, Anirban’s dismissal would be special. It was a quick delivery on the good length area that came in after pitching..all in all a dream ball
Looking back, our opener Pritam played responsible innings in both the semifinal as well as in the final. It was a team effort. I’m really proud of all of my teammates.

HD: Words of advice for budding cricketers?
GN: I am certainly not qualified to sermonise young cricketers. But what I can say with conviction is that continuous practice coupled with intelligence will definitely yield success.

HD: And what about the celebrations after the victory?
GN: I am a shy person by nature..not very good at expressing my emotions…but I thoroughly enjoyed today.. it’s a great feeling to see the entire team celebrating..this team has given me a lasting memory to cherish. Grateful to BUKSS for everything…Abhijit kept us going with his energy..Nurul and Taz were unbelievable as well…they never let the voltage in the dugout drop…our supporters encouraged us throughout. All of us from the fraternity get to meet each other this one time in a year…alas!!!! normal life will resume from tomorrow.

HD: Congratulations once again. Thank you so much for your time.
GN: Thank you. You,Himabrata have been one of the finds of the Tournament for me

HD: Thank you so much. Goodbye

It felt like I had known Mr Ganesh Nandi for decades judging by the fluency with which both of us hit off. It’s so important to be a good human being before one aspires to become a good cricketer. This was what Ganesh Nandi had led me to realise. Being a doctor, I admonished myself for not asking him about his injured finger. But then,it would been needless I reassured myself. Pain and pleasure are hard to distinguish for those who are possessed by the indomitable spirit of cricket.