Ganguly has it all to prove

Sourav Ganguly was greatly relieved yesterday when the ICC rescinded his two-match suspension, which allowed him to play the second Test against South Africa in the Kolkata. As Ganguly noted at the pre-match press conference this morning, he had already missed four out of eight Test matches this year to injury, and had been troubled by the prospect of having to sit out another two Tests.

But there is also another reason why the captain does not want to miss out on a chance to play. He is in a rather beleaguered state at the moment, and his authority is open to question as never before. But he can justly claim to have had a major influence of shaping this Indian team, and he wants to prove that he still belongs among them, as both leader and player.

India's form in both Tests and one-dayers has been a distinct three or four notches below that of last season, and there's only so long that he can keep fending off the charges being levelled at him by his critics. Ganguly also did he himself no favours by pulling out abruptly of the Nagpur Test, and he has spent so much time on the sidelines this season that he has every reason to fear that his players may grow used to being without him.

There could be nothing better for Ganguly in the short-term than a victory, something to clear the darkening clouds of dissatisfaction and resentment that have built around in the cricket-watching public's perception of Team India. Critics have asked if he still has the passion and the energy for the captaincy, a draining task at the best of times.

He needs to answer them with results. He could also do with a big score, as it has been a year - Brisbane in early December 2003 - since his batting had a major effect on a Test match, and also because his record at Kolkata has been poor. Even though he is a veteran, he probably has more at stake in the game than anyone else.

It is not without reason that Ganguly's critics say that the time has come to give up the top job to another man. It is possible that even some of those sympathetic to Ganguly might believe this is the course of action that is best for him. Captaining the Indian side, absorbing the intense scrutiny and measuring up to the expectations of millions of passionate followers must be the toughest assignment in world cricket, and not something the strain of which a man can bear for more than a few years.

An example of this was witnessed by this writer this very morning. After a stint at nets, Ganguly walked off the ground and into the pavilion. A group of people, perhaps about 70 strong, had managed to get into the ground to watch the players, and as Ganguly passed below they made a rush for the railings, calling out: "Dada! Dada! Dada!"

Why were they calling out in such a frenzy to a man occupied with his work and with a dozen important things on his mind? For a wave of the bat in return, perhaps, or some other mark of acknowledgement - some little thing to take away as a sign that they had been in proximity to the captain of India, and shared some interaction with him.

Sometimes it must seem to Ganguly as if all of India is on its toes, shouting at him in many accents: "Dada! Dada! Dada!" Can he continue to steer his way through the tumult for much longer? We shall know - maybe not at Kolkata, but soon enough.