The question that gives me the shivers

You know it's a rare era in Indian cricket when an inspirational captain, the most non-parochial in decades and a customer who plays hard, gives as good as he gets, is dropped – and not even missed. The period after the dark winter of match-fixing has been a dazzling, extended summer of brilliance and sunshine. The Indian team has won everywhere – well, almost everywhere – and made it to the World Cup final.

Some of this happened because the BCCI got out of the way. Jagmohan Dalmiya did start with writing letters to John Wright demanding explanations for "bad performance". Of course, that Wright had been appointed by AC Muthiah – Dalmiya's predecessor and, in the best traditions of the Board's byzantine politics, former friend and current foe – may have had something to do with it.

Yet, once Dalmiya developed a comfort level with Wright – more important, once India started winning – he left him alone, or as alone as a coach can be left by the BCCI. Next, despite the Board's inner wranglings and bizarre elections, the men in suits had enough sense to appoint Greg Chappell as coach.

How successful Chappell will be is for the future. By biting the bullet and removing Ganguly, he's shown who's boss. The message is clear: my way or no way. If he fails, we'll crucify the man and the principle; if he succeeds, he's ready for sainthood or whatever's the Indian equivalent.

Yet none of the success of the past half-decade would have happened without a "happy breed of men" – good, broadly straightforward guys who played for the team, didn't plant stories behind each other and, between them, provided Indian cricket its most prodigious reservoir of leadership in living memory.

Sourav Ganguly was the captain, of course, but it just so easily could have been Rahul Dravid. Anil Kumble as elder statesman, contract negotiator and counsel-at-hand; Sachin Tendulkar as the man who was thrust into the captaincy too early, lost it but didn't really bother with trying to intrigue his way back; VVS Laxman, as straitlaced as his bat isn't – this was a rare constellation.

As such, when Ganguly faltered, Dravid could slip into his shoes without a iota of a question. Mark Taylor's gone? Bring on Steve Waugh.

By 2007 – the World Cup is a rough date, but only a rough one – our quintet would have played its last melody. Perhaps only Laxman will stay on in the Test team a couple of years longer. There'll be a serious intellectual vacuum at the top. Who'll captain India next? Who'll be around shoulder the burden of this incredibly gifted, incredibly mature bunch?

The question gives me the shivers.

There's much I want as an Indian but know I can't get. I want a prime minister who will ignore everything and everyone – okay, okay, ignoring Prakash Karat will do – push ahead with reforms, make India a manufacturing success story, take us on to the path of sustained economic growth and prosperity.

I also want a BCCI that is managed by a professional CEO, which draws up itineraries years in advance, runs with efficiency the multi-million dollar business corporation it is but pretends it isn't.

I'm not going to get either of these – perhaps not in two decades, perhaps not in three lifetimes.

In the absence of a clearheaded BCCI, governed by a strong work ethic and a resolute idea of where it wants to take Indian cricket, the team's success will always be dependent on strong leadership. A good captain – or maybe just a risk-taking one, who backs his hunches, supports his players, talks to each of them in individual languages they understand, stands up to the media, doesn't wilt into diffidence when confronted with an English-speaking commentator at the end of the game, has opinions to offer – will do.

True, there's a sense of elitism born into my argument. I genuinely believe that while everybody can play cricket, not everybody can be a cricket team's captain – as opposed to a water polo team's captain – especially not in an Indian XI that always has to be more than the sum of multi-lingual, multi-cultural parts. Cricketers may be "born", captains need to "made".

We need to nurture our next captain. Perhaps run him through communication lessons, psychological speed courses, whatever. If only Chappell could identify his shortlist, and nudge the BCCI. Otherwise, I fear we'll get Virender Sehwag by default and just hope he gets it right.

Ashok Malik is a senior journalist based in Delhi, and his day job is at the Indian Express.