There was one thing that distinguished Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from Indian captains before them: the absence of parochialism © Getty Images Enlarge

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Indian cricket has changed fundamentally in the last five years, and there is no one who can place these changes in a historical perspective better than Ramachandra Guha, the cricket historian and author of A Corner of a Foreign Field. In this interview with Cricinfo Audio, Guha tells Amit Varma about how "the absence of parochialism" was the seminal shift that set Sourav Ganguly's side apart. Among the many reasons for this shift: the appointment of a foreign coach, and crowded international cricket itineraries.

Guha also speaks of the decentralisation of cricket in these years - the rise of the small towns - and the role that television played in this process. He also talks about the last few months, and why Indian cricket needs Rahul Dravid now just as it needed Ganguly once. He holds that the gains to Indian cricket are irreversible, but there is, nevertheless, something that worries him.

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