The Ganguly question

Sourav Ganguly has always had the ability to keep everyone guessing – friends, foes, team-mates and opponents alike. Will he play? Where will he bat? Will he be on time? The latest question mark concerns his place in the Pune Warriors side as it winds down a disappointing IPL season. On the eve of Warriors’ game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Pune on Friday, there were rumours that he would not play the three remaining games. The franchise owner Subroto Roy had said the previous night that Ganguly would take up a mentoring role next season and wanted to give youngsters a chance in the remaining matches.

On matchday, the speculation seemed confirmed when Steven Smith walked out for the toss instead. Ganguly, he said, was sitting out the game. That left the door open for the future, and for Ganguly himself to clear the air. He did so during a television interview at the dugout, saying he had only taken a short break. “It's been a long time on the road. [I] Just wanted to give an opportunity to the youngsters," he said. "I'll be back for the next game and lead the side."

When asked to confirm his mentoring role, Ganguly, seeing the lighter side, chuckled, saying: "I don't know. I make the headlines for good and bad things.”

While Ganguly's captaincy has had its moments of inspiration and innovation, his batting - 261 runs at a strike-rate of 100.71 – would not, in other circumstances, merit a place in the side. In that sense, his dropping wasn't surprising but his absence didn't help his team, who lost the match by 35 runs. It's likely he will return and one can never write him off until he utters those famous parting words - "just one last thing, lads."