COMEBACK MAN: Pune Warriors player Sourav Gunguly plays a shot during the IPL Twenty20 cricket match against Deccan Chargers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. (AFP
AFP/Hyderabad

Sourav Ganguly made an impressive contribution in Pune Warriors’ six wicket victory over Deccan Chargers in a clash of the bottom-placed teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here yesterday.
The Warriors restricted the Chargers to 136 for eight and with the help of their top three batsmen - Jesse Ryder (35), Manish Pandey (49) and Ganguly (32) - chased down the target in 18.2 overs. Australian Mitchell Marsh (4-25) was the most effective in the bowling department. It was Pune Warriors’ second successive win. They are now at seventh place in the table with eight points from 11 matches while Deccan Chargers are ninth with six points in as many games.
The two teams were already out of contention for a place in the play-off and in fact, it was Ganguly’s return that added interest in the dead rubber. The former India captain was roped in by Pune Warriors last week as a late replacement for Ashish Nehra.  Ryder gave Warriors a good start. He looked dangerous and smashed Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma all over the park. The New Zealander’s six over mid-wicket of Steyn’s first over was one of the best strokes he played in his 20-ball knock. The first two overs of Steyn and Sharma produced 24 runs for the Warriors and set the tone for a successful chase.
Ryder was dismissed by Pragyan Ojha in the seventh over. That led to the much-awaited moment when Ganguly walked down the ground amid a loud roar from the crowd. Immediately, Ganguly’s die-hard-fans were out with banners hailing his return.
Ganguly did not disappoint, middling the ball well and standing solid against the pace of Steyn and Sharma.
He showed sparks of his old brilliance when he made room to hit Sharma for a four over extra-cover and then dispatched leg-spinner Amit Mihsra for a six, charging down the track in his trademark style.
“I told people that probably it is going to be the toughest day of my career. I did not pick up the bat for five months after the auction and here I was playing Dale Steyn,” Ganguly said after Warriors beat Deccan Chargers by six wickets.
“I came into the match with zero confidence. The anticipation is not there in the field. Hopefully, I will get that back spending some time in the middle. Fielding will also get better.”