India's non-playing captain
The selectors must be pretty sanguine that the forthcoming Zimbabwe series will not tax the Indian players'technique or temperament unduly
V Ramnarayan
22-Feb-2002
Sourav Ganguly is a puzzled man. He does not know why India loses
the crucial matches. By his own generous admission, he would have
won more such matches for India if he knew the problem. Our
satellite channels faithfully telecast the Indian captain's
wonderfully humble attempt at self-analysis, as if to acquit him
of all charges of repeated failures as captain and player.
The selectors must be pretty sanguine that the forthcoming Zimbabwe series will not tax the Indian players' technique or temperament unduly. One neat series win later, all will be forgotten and forgiven in the euphoria of victory, they seem to be reassuring themselves, to offer the least offensive explanation of their penchant for the status quo. |
There was, thus, no hint of regret that he had thrown his wicket
away playing a loose, even arrogant lap-shot instead of staying
at the wicket until victory was achieved. How smug and selfsatisfied he looked, absolving himself of all guilt while putting
his younger teammates on the mat! The selectors too seem equally
smug.
Ganguly had not done badly, actually, according to chairman of
selectors Chandu Borde. After all, he had won the Test series and
drawn the one-day rubber against England. The captain's almost
total capitulation as a batsman, especially in Test match
cricket, does not seem to have worried him unduly.
The selectors must be pretty sanguine that the forthcoming
Zimbabwe series will not tax the Indian players' technique or
temperament unduly. One neat series win later, all will be
forgotten and forgiven in the euphoria of victory, they seem to
be reassuring themselves, to offer the least offensive
explanation of their penchant for the status quo.
Not too long ago, there was some much-publicised rhetoric by the
BCCI president declaring that those in charge of Indian cricket
would be held accountable for the results they produced. In
hindsight, it seems to have been no more than an attempt to get
rid of John Wright and Andrew Leipus, the unwanted 'foreigners.'
The captain, in contrast, seems to be immune from any such
requirement. After all, was it not suggested by many, just prior
to his sensational return to Test cricket in 1996, that Ganguly
was Jagmohan Dalmiya's boy?
But Indian cricket has a way of making fools of everyone. For all
we know, an Andy-Flower-inspired Zimbabwe could still spring a
surprise or two, and by the end of the series, the selectors
could face pretty much the same situation as they face today. And
once again, they will decide to let sleeping dogs lie and play it
safe with the selection of the captain and the team for the West
Indies tour.