Sourav Ganguly:The best Asian cricketer and batsman in 2007

 

Sourav Ganguly is Castrol Asian Cricketer of the Year 2007  at the First Castrol Asian Cricket Awards Held in Karachi.

 Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was adjudged 'Asian Cricketer' and 'Asian Batsman of the Year' at the Castrol Asian Cricket Awards in Karachi on Friday. Sachin Tendulkar was named 'Best ODI Batsman' while Gautam Gambhir grabbed the honour in Twenty20. Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara took away the 'Best Test Batsman of the Year' award while compatriot Farveez Maharoof was adjudged 'Best ODI Bowler'. Pakistan's Umar Gul was named the 'Best Twenty20 Bowler'.Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, not surprisingly, was named 'Best Test Bowler'.

The Castrol Asian Awards are based on the Castrol Performance Index – a comprehensive points system which takes into consideration batting, bowling and fielding performances of each player against all teams in all international matches, in all three formats – Test, ODIs and T20, during a calendar year.

Ganguly has had a series of successful innings since his return to the Indian cricket team during the South African tour of 2006-07. The Prince of Kolkata put together some outstanding batting performances during 2007 – his best innings being the 239 against Pakistan at Bangalore in December 2007. For his outstanding batting performance during the year, Sourav also received the overall Castrol Asian Batsman of the Year Award.

Though Sourav Ganguly was not present at the ceremony, his wife Dona received the awards on his behalf. "I am proud and happy to be his wife. I don't think he needed to work so hard to prove himself. But he had a point to prove, and when he wants to achieve something he does it. So these awards make me really proud of him as my husband," Dona told reporters after receiving the awards.She, however, refused to term the awards as redemption for her husband after being stripped of captaincy and dropped from the team in 2006."I don't see it that way. I just knew that he would achieve what he wanted. He is an introvert sort of person but my job was to be there to encourage and support him. As a family we were there for him always," she said.The Bengal left-hander, in a video-taped message, also expressed happiness on being conferred the awards.