Ganguly joins team in South Africa
As soon as its doors open, the TV crews make a beeline there from their vantage points. Sourav Ganguly gets out quietly, picks up his kitbag from the boot, and wheels in into the practice area
Dileep Premachandran in Potchefstroom
05-Dec-2006
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At 10 past eleven on a hot and dry day at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom, a
Mercedes minivan pulls up a few feet away from the outdoor nets. As soon
as its doors open, the TV crews make a beeline there from their vantage
points. Sourav Ganguly gets out quietly, picks up his kitbag from the
boot, and wheels in into the practice area.
Initially no one sees him, all of them occupied midway through a session.
Then, as he sets his kitbag down and set about opening it, Munaf Patel
turns around. He stares wide-eyed for a minute and then extends his hand.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had been chatting to Munaf just moments earlier,
follows suit. 'You drove straight from the airport?" asks Dhoni. Ganguly
just nods, and half smiles.
Ian Frazer, who had just been lobbing balls to Rahul Dravid in a net kept
apart from the others, is next to see him. He too goes up and shakes his
hand, sharing a few words. Greg Chappell is having a quiet word in Gautam
Gambhir's ear when he spots Ganguly. Ganguly crosses the few metres that
separate them and they shake hands. "Welcome back, mate," says Chappell.
"Glad you made it."
Dravid has just finished a small session with Frazer and Greg King
throwing them down when he wanders across to meet the man he replaced as
India's captain. They chat for a couple of minutes, both men gazing in the
direction of the batsmen and bowlers engaged in the nets.
Soon after, Ganguly breaks away to see to his equipment. The SG thigh pad
comes out, and he puts his bat, gloves, pads and helmet on the grass in
readiness for what will be his first experience of South African pitches
in nearly four years. As he pads up, Irfan Pathan spots him and waves.
Ganguly waves back. After nearly a year away from the limelight,
he's back. Only time will tell if he still belongs.
Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo