Hail the new hero—Ganga

The sight of thousands of Trinis cheering on our national cricket team at Guaracara Park, last weekend, when we retained the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy, was a sight to behold.

The climax of the inter-island rivalry was exciting and entertaining. Barbados has won the regional tournament 21 times since 1966.

It has dominated the regional competition and no other country can boast of similar statistics.

The last time Trinidad and Tobago won the competition two years in a row was 1970-1971. Thirty-five years later, Darren Ganga has repeated this feat.

There is no doubt that Ganga’s leadership and captaincy proved critical to our success.

Ganga is articulate and intelligent and understands the concept of team spirit. His innovative approach to the game is refreshing, as many captains lead without strategy and tactic.

From winning the toss to employing the right bowler at the right time, field placement to on-field counselling, Ganga is large and in charge.

His pre and post-match comments to the media are thought-provoking and sensible.

Dubbed the “Cinderalla Kids” because of the number of inexperienced youngsters in the team, Ganga has managed to unite his troops, foster genuine team spirit and get the best out of his lot.

The team gelled and functioned as an efficient unit with purpose and direction.

Ganga has also led by example, as evidenced by his prize for the highest overall score in the tournament and his frequent “Man of the Match” awards.

He is a disciplined batsman with stamina and solid technique. Having risen through the ranks from the national youth teams, he has won the hearts of many fans and is considered the prince of south.

Ganga is a worthy role model for our youths. He comes from a humble family in Barrackpore and has struggled to get where he is.

His entry into Test cricket was rough. He was thrown into the deep end of the pool and struggled for form.

There was no gentle introduction by exposure to the weaker Test teams. His performance was inconsistent and even disappointing at first.

Despite the odds, he continued to work at his game, learning from his mistakes and fighting his own personal demons. His determination has paid off.

Not many people realise it, but Ganga was actually the top Test batsman for the West Indies team for 2006. He played in all ten Test matches and scored 708 runs, with the best average of 41.64.

The success of “Ganga’s Men” is all the more commendable, because it was achieved without the support of master batsman and world record-holder Brian Lara.

As captain, Ganga has the onerous task of guiding the young stars of tomorrow and helping them realise their true and full potential.

With the astute support of caring team manager Omar Khan, Ganga will continue to produce good results.

It is disappointing and perplexing that Ganga was left out of the West Indies World Cup squad. He has taken the blow in stride and responded well by retaining the Carib Challenge Trophy and the KFC one-day cup.

He has demonstrated patience, restraint, maturity and class. Lara has personally seen Ganga grow and develop. As one of his mentors and captain, Lara has helped groom Ganga into the man he is today.

There can be no room for jealousy here, as Lara is in a class by himself, and there is simply no comparison between the two. Many fans are, however, convinced that Lara does not seem enthusiastic to have Ganga on his West Indies team.

This has to be mischievous gossip, as it is difficult to imagine our world record-holder acting so irrationally or being so petty.

Surely, Lara lobbied for his young protégé, but the selectors (not for the first time) got it completely wrong by omitting Ganga.

T&T must rally around Ganga on this score.

The Government is yet to announce how it plans to reward the victorious team. It might not be a World Cup victory, but many of the players on the national team come from poor families.

Some of them have to study, train hard and live in the gym and nets. The sacrifice is tremendous. Cricket is their life and they deserve immediate financial support, so that they can concentrate on developing their cricket without worry.

Our national football team recently won the regional tournament and was richly-rewarded. I hope the Government’s generosity extends to these future stars, with special emphasis on the incredible Ravi Rampaul, who had to be helped by Australia in his greatest hour of need, instead of his own country.