Ganguly makes his grand re-entry

Sourav Ganguly may just have replaced his purple for a black jersey this Indian Premier League season. His debut for the Pune Warriors in their match against the Deccan Chargers on Tuesday however, is reflective of what some will call a stubborn attitude and others will term as gritty and resilient.

The man who captained the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first and third editions of the tournament only to fade out  in the auctions for the fourth season, has come a long way again and his passion for the sport itself remains under no doubt. While many experts have suggested that Ganguly should call it quits and retire with dignity, the need for experience, batting prowess and overall cricketing expertise can never be completely discounted.

For a team that has been left in tatters after seven loses on the trot, Pune's fate in their first outing in IPL came as a blessing for Ganguly, though many may argue in favour of the reverse.

The former India skipper scored 349 runs from 13 innings in the first edition of IPL in 2008. His follow-up act in the next edition was not impressive as he scored 189 runs from 11 innings with a best of 46*. In 2010, Ganguly smashed 493 runs from 14 innings. Though his form can be unpredictable and what he does for himself in this edition of the IPL remains unanswered, what he can do for a side which is virtually out of reckoning can be reassuring for the Sahara group, the owners of the Pune franchise. 32 from 32 is a good start in the right direction for a man who has been brought in to anchor the batting lineup. "Not having picked a bat for five months since the auctions, I came to the match with zero confidence. It's good to get some runs," he said after the match.