Tough times in Lanka, but all is not lost

The Indian captain's cup of woes runneth over.

With three successive losses in the Coca-Cola Cup in Sri Lanka, Sourav Ganguly is under more fire than he has ever been in his cricket career. The manner of defeat has stunned fans, well-wishers and detractors alike. Unable to explain away the fact that India had failed thrice to chase targets that were eminently attainable, Ganguly looked a despondent man at the presentation ceremony. When the chips are down, the men are separated from the boys, goes the saying. Well, it seems like the 'boys' are truly being exposed in Sri Lanka.

"This is not what we expected from our team," Chandu Borde said after India's third match in the Coca-Cola Cup. The chairman of the selection committee, usually quite reserved, was unusually harsh in his criticism. Borde went on to say, "I think we have selected the best possible combination, but the players are just not delivering. There is not much we can do about that." Well, there certainly is nothing the selectors can do at this stage. And to be fair to Ganguly, it does not look like there's much the Bengal southpaw can do either.

The young blood has failed to turn on the heat thus far. Hemang Badani averages 4 in the series, Yuvraj Singh, Reetinder Sodhi and Virender Shewag all average a dismal 15. Amay Khurasiya making his comeback makes 12 runs a knock. Pretty depressing if you're a fan of Indian cricket. What makes it more difficult to stomach is the fact that the senior guard Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid seem unable to take this bull by the horns. There's confusion when it comes to strategy, chaos when it comes to team selection and the results are predictably abysmal.

Then again, there is little point in flogging a dead horse.

Raj Singh Dungarpur thought it appropriate to add his ten cents worth. The former Board president singled out Ganguly when speaking about India's horrific run of form. "I think Ganguly is making too many mistakes as captain, which is affecting the team's performance," opined Dungarpur.

The widespread anguish is understandable. Having seen India snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on numerous occasions however, one is forced to ask, why is this particular bad run so gutting? Well, the meek surrender of the team in the absence of batting ace Sachin Tendulkar is unnerving. While it was always clear that his absence would make a tremendous impact, no one estimated the scale of the disaster to be what it is.

There has not been a single performance of note in the three matches played. Batsmen and bowlers alike have been given their chances. There have been just two half centuries in three matches the laboured innings in losing causes both Ganguly and Dravid played.

In this moment of desperation, the words of a television commentator who irritates rather than amuses come to mind. "The red cherry on the cake," croons Navjot Sidhu at every possible occasion, whether the idiom is called for or not. The red cherry on this particular cake has got to be the decision of the match referee, Cammie Smith, to hand Ganguly a one match suspension for showing dissent on being dismissed lbw by Kyle Mills.

An already disorganised India are now leaderless as well.

To criticise this team would not take much. People in offices, on the streets, in bars and restaurants, just about everywhere are taking the opportunity to have a go at the Indian squad. That is, at one level, understandable. The reactions of former players and cricket officials however, is a bit disappointing. In this hour of need, former Indian cricketers should come together, have a word with Ganguly, give him something to look forward to. After all, this is not a bad dream that anyone can wish away. Having been in tough corners themselves, former cricketers should bring all their experience to the table and be supportive of the Indian captain.

After all, despite everything that has happened recently, Ganguly remains the best man for the job.