The 'Prince of Calcutta' is now the monarch of Indian cricket
One sometimes can't help smiling at the irony of it all
Partab Ramchand
28-Feb-2000
One sometimes can't help smiling at the irony of it all. A cricketer
whose selection for the 1996 tour of England came under a heavy
barrage of criticism is now the captain of the Indian team. And in
direct contrast to the personal attacks that featured his selection as
a player four years ago, his elevation to the captain's slot has been
welcomed with undisguised enthusiasm.
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly has seen it all in his brief career so
far. The ups and down and the highs and lows. From unfair,
unwarranted, even personal crticism to the kind of praise that has
sometimes not even been accorded to Sachin Tendulkar, the 28-year-old
Bengal captain has experienced everything. He has taken up the
challenges of batting in a manner in which few Indian players have. He
has handled the high expectations of a cricket crazy nation in an
exemplary fashion. Now comes his greatest challenge. And given his
upper class background, his vast experience and his level headed
temparament, one can already see him make a success of the most
important, if demanding, job in Indian sport.
A teenage prodigy, Ganguly was pitchforked into the international
arena when he was plainly not ready for the big stage. Picked for the
1991-92 tour of Australia at 19, Ganguly had an indifferent tour and
was promptly forgotten. India played various Test series at home and
abroad and numerous one day tournaments over a four year period but
Ganguly was never considered good enough to warrant a comeback.
So when he was suddenly recalled for the tour of England in 1996, all
hell broke loose. Few players in Indian cricket history would have
faced the level of criticism hurled at Ganguly. Every kind of charges
was made, all kinds of innuendos were suggested. Allegations from ``he
bought his way into the team'' to ``he has made it on the quota
system'' must have hurt considerably. But Ganguly kept his nerve. Not
once did he enter into any debate regarding his selection, fully aware
that it would be a pointless exercise anyway. He decided to hit back
at his critics the only way he knew best - to let his batting do the
talking.
And as everyone knows, that is exactly what he did. Performing the
kind of feats that a schoolboy sees in his best dreams, Ganguly
started off with a century on debut at Lord's and for good measure
added another one in the following Test. What was particularly
impressive was his reaction following the two hundreds. Not for him
was there any excessive or dramatic outburst against his
detractors. Even when he would have been justified to let fly at them,
he remained level headed. The whole episode brought out not only the
maturity in Ganguly, the cricketer but in Ganguly, the man.
Since then he has been an integral part of the team. First as a
dashing batsman who over the years has now a serious claim to being
the finest left hander produced by the country. Then as a senior
member of the side. Then as a stop gap captain in the absence of
Tendulkar, very much like another Bengali who was a stand-in captain
41 years ago - Pankaj Roy at Lord's in 1959. And now finally as leader
in his own right. Predictably enough, the reaction from Calcutta has
been particularly ecstatic. But one is sure that the reaction all over
the country is just about the same.
However, it would be a mistake to expect results overnight. Indian
cricket is too far down in the doldrums for miracles to happen. The
way to the top is through hard work, determination and commitment. As
a captain, Ganguly is already taken to be good at man management. As a
motivator, he is a figure who inspires his team mates by leading from
the front. His cricketing skills and background are unimpeachable. But the right atmosphere should be created for him to function freely. He should also be given time to implement his ideas. If this is done, one is sure Ganguly has it in him to become a successful, long term captain.