I, for one, have always maintained the view/opinion, in spite
of what others have espoused, that Daren Ganga remains one of
the better batsmen (technically) in West Indies cricket.
Ganga promised a lot when he made his Test debut in South Africa
some eight seasons aback.
He failed to deliver on that promise and has been in and out of
the West Indies team for a number of reasons, including poor form,
injuries and impasses.
Nonetheless, he has seen action in South Africa, New Zealand,
Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, United Aram Emirates and Bangladesh.
In 2003, he came of age as a Test batsman when the former Naparima
College student defied Gillespie, Lee, Mac Gill, Bichel and Hogg
in registering back-to-back hundreds against top dog Australia.
A fine maiden 113 at Bourda in Guyana at Queen’s Park Oval.
On both occasions he stood with Brian Lara in huge partnerships
worth 185 and 158.
Definitely, Ganga had arrived, finally.
But, again, he did not stay.
His form and consistency were patchy and he found himself yet
again in and out of the team.
With no one really cementing a No. 2 position to partner explosive
Chris Gayle and with a brilliant 2005 season which included a
career-highest 265 for Trinidad and Tobago against the Leeward
Islands at Salem Park in Montserrat, Ganga found himself once
again in the reckoning.
This came in a tour this year in which he impressed as his double
triumph and personal form saw him partnering Gayle against India.
The rest is history.
It would be interesting where Daren Ganga’s career goes
from here -- Pakistan beckons towards the end of the year.
For the time being, let’s hope the India series was the
turning point in his career!
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