The road not taken
S Balachandhran - 28 January 2003

"Just a slip betwixt the cup and lip" - that might well be Sourav Ganguly's main thought leading up to the premier one-day tournament in South Africa. In the recent past, Ganguly has attracted criticism from so many unexpected quarters that one tends to doubt the captain's attitude towards the team and his ability to discharge his responsibilities. Indeed, Ganguly seems to have such a magnetic attraction for controversy from every possible corner, but however much they figure as essentials in this day and age, they are matters outside the realm of pure cricket.

What is infinitely worrying is that even in matters cricketing, Ganguly comes off poorly. Consider the scene a few months ago when, in the second one-dayer against Zimbabwe, rookie all- rounder Sanjay Bangar went for 18 runs in his first two overs. When he was recalled into the attack, the Zimbabwe batsman immediately decided to have a swipe.The ball looped high in the air, slowly, towards the captain standing at mid-off.

Instead of running forward for the easy catch - which even an under-16 cricketer would have pouched easily - Ganguly ran back, presumably to intercept the ball and stop it from reaching the boundary. Imagine the thoughts that must have run through Bangar's mind during this incident, which repeated itself in the same over! Readers will recall many more scenes of Ganguly providing a respectful and steady escort to the gliding cricket ball on its way to the boundary.

How does Ganguly, in spite of repeated failure with the bat, abominable displays of fielding and unerringly inappropriate field placement, manage to retain his place? Some say that he has the backing of the supreme power in Indian cricket, Jagmohan Dalmiya. Others argue that there is nobody better suited to the job at this point of time, while still others aver that he is too good a player to do badly for long.

But pray spare a thought or two for that underprivileged and often manhandled entity that is Indian cricket. Every single time our captain puts on such sordid performances in the field, supporters can do little more than cringe in a corner, their mouths securely taped.

Have we not seen great captains of the past and the present? I do not remember anyone else who has taken the job for granted in such an obvious manner and for so long a period as Ganguly. The phrase "The captain should lead by example" must have stopped making sense to our current set of cricketers. In the same vein, the captain's accountability is non-existent as far as Indian cricket is concerned.

Retired greats often reminisce by saying that "cricket used to be a game." Fortunately or unfortunately, it is now much more than that; it is a business, a war, a means to fame. All the more reason, then, to have a system of accountability built into the game and the teams involved. Can one recall even one foreign captain who would have retained his spot in spite of the innumerable controversies and lack of form that Ganguly has been plagued with? The answer is an emphatic "No", which is as it should be.

This is no mere tirade or participation in that popular sport called Ganguly-bashing, but I am not against calling a spade a spade, and I would only be extending the spade analogy a touch by saying that Ganguly is not the right man for the responsible and sensitive post of Indian captain. A captain can plump for players of his choice, demand certain powers in selection procedures, even fly in the face of all things traditional. But when all these demands are met almost entirely and the captain still looks unable to shape his unit into a team, it is time for him to stop being the captain of the team. In fact, one is not even talking about just winning, but about developing a team that will serve the country's purpose singlemindedly and set a fitting example to the millions of youngsters watching and worshipping the game.

The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.

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