It wouldn't have been easy for the selectors, they have made a tough decision. Sourav Ganguly has been re-appointed captain of Team India. The selection committee must have thought hard and long about it, but they didn't have any other option. The choice was between Rahul Dravid and Ganguly. While Dravid's batting remains as solid as ever, victories have eluded him. Ganguly has the results to back him, but his batting has recently wilted under the pressure of captaincy. In the grander scheme of things - a winning Indian team is what matters - the selectors have had to sacrifice a batsman to include a captain in the side! But it might be the last chance that Ganguly gets.
Luck has always favoured the Bengal tiger and it's no different this time. While Dravid had a baptism of fire in Sri Lanka, Ganguly will be leading the Indian team against the weakest side in international cricket at the moment! It will be the perfect opportunity for Ganguly to cement his place as captain once again. India will (most probably!) win the series, but it will be Ganguly's batting that will be under scrutiny. If Ganguly fails to get the runs this time, it might be the beginning of the end. The team cannot carry the extra burden of a captain, who doesn't chip in with the bat, for long. It will be suicidal against quality opposition.
There is every chance that Ganguly will roar back with the bat and Team India, in its current fragile state, is ready to take that gamble. He has done it before, but never in his career has he felt this kind of pressure. It is crucial that he delivers the goods once again. More so, if Ganguly wants to retain the captaincy till the 2007 World Cup. His batting form needs to improve considerably. Although he started the season - after serving an ICC ban - with a half-century, Ganguly has looked far from comfortable at the wicket. During that knock also he looked susceptible and returned to his low-scoring ways in later matches. Ganguly's captaincy record though is unquestionable.
He is the first captain who has won most number of Tests for India, surely he must have done something right for Team India. Selfish and foolhardy he is not! Love him or hate him, Ganguly's record stares in your face and the person who can match his record will have big mountain to climb.
Critics have often pointed to the fact that a good batsman who leads from the front always inspires his mates to go for greater glory. But this is not always true - Nasser Hussain who built a great team was never the team's top scorer, like Ganguly he played several gritty knocks. Hussain believed in grooming players notably Vaughan, Flintoff and Trescothick to lead England to glory while he concentrated on man management. The same is true of England's former captain Mike Bearley who was a genius as captain but hardly ever scored runs, the ECB on their part preferred England to win matches rather than a run-scoring captain who would end up on the losing side. India's case is similar, Dravid might be a great batsman but it's the X-factor which makes a good captain. Ganguly has got loads of it but sadly that's missing in his deputy. Clearly, not everyone is destined to lead even the great Tendulkar found captaincy too hot to handle.
On the whole I'll say, Sourav Ganguly rules Indian Cricket. Without him, it's gonna be tough to rejuvenate the "boys" & well, without the king of the jungle leading the way, how can one expect serenity in the jungle?
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