It Just Isn't Cricket
Well, as most of you would know, Rahul Dravid has been appointed captain of the Indian ODI Team for the next two series. I maybe alone on this one, but that is the worst decision ever. Ganguly is not having a good time with the bat but lets take a closer look at that. As of the 2003 World Cup, Ganguly's run count stood at 8432. As of the Lankan series in 2005 it stood at 10,000. In between those, India played against Australia(2x), Pakistan(2x), Lanka (2x), South Africa, England, AUS-IND-PAK tri series, Champions Trophy, Asia Cup and against New Zealand. Barring injuries, other problems and so on, Ganguly played exactly 34 matches in that time.
Now some simple maths --- (10000-8432)/34 = 46. His average in this duration was 46 runs per match. Some enlighten me here - but isn't that fit to be Captain of any side in the world? Ponting mustered an average of 38.44 and his credibility is not being questioned.
Okay, some may say he hit it against minnows, but where among the above teams is a minnow? Forget even that. The point is Rahul Dravid isn't as good as Ganguly when it comes to captaincy. Ganguly built the team we have from the depths of the 2000 Match Fixing Scandal and took us to the world cup final. Drew even with Australia in Australia, Beat Pakistan in Pakistan, chased down 326 in a final, took India to the brink of victory in England and more than all these statistical achievments - instilled pride, fire and passion into the Indian team.
If there is a reason why the Indian team is doing reasonably well - it's because of him. Dravid just doesn't have that X Factor (although he is a far better batsman). Let me enthuse all of you with some quotes:
"I wasn’t, am not, and won’t be bothered. My team doesn’t require a (good conduct) certificate from the Australians..." - Quoted as saying to The Telegraph on the criticism against him and the team in the Aussie media - 2001 Series in India
At a time when India was being attacked viciously by Australians, Ganguly stood up against the boorishness. Who can forget when Michael Slate swore at the umpire for giving him out? When Ganguly was harrased on field by the Aussies - but when he returned fire it was "against the spirit of the game".
We need a man of passion and flair, a man who led from the heart. A man who became India's most successful captain on his own and against everyone else. A man who was thrown out of the Indian team in 1992 only to come back in 1996 and hit a century on debut. A man who along with Sachin and Inzi is the only person to hit 10000 ODI runs. We need Dada.
I wrote an article which was published on Cricinfo. Click here.
If anything, Indian cricket has become stagnant, and it's because of this power struggle. If Indian cricket must move - Rahul Dravid can be the captain. If it must move forward - Sourav Ganguly must be the captain.
This entry was posted by Blogpur, on
Friday, October 14, 2005.
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2:56 PM
Hi Venkat,
IMHO, Ganguly does not deserve a place in team let alone the captaincy. He his woefully
out of form. He should play some domestic cricket and prove his worth. He has been given ample oppurtunities which is generally denied for other players.
5:48 PM
So u r another Ganguite eh ?...cool down buddy..that's all Gangu deserves..Let him earn his place back in the indian team rather than citing past glory and all those statistics..enough has been discussed on statistics....did u miss that statistic that he averages 19 in the last 19 odis ?
9:15 PM
Seenathaana,
Is that to say you are willing to drop Tendulkar because his recent form has been pitiful aswell?
Prabhu,
I don't know what to say. I think perhaps his worth as a batsman can be fully realised, but I can't envision an Indian team without the Bengal Tiger at the throne.
7:21 AM
Hey Venkat,
I am not taking sides here. But IMHO, no one can deny the fact that Ganguly was one of the BEST captains India has ever had. He did build a great team. He was agressive and motivated a lot of young players. But one has to agree that off late, he is at his all time low, both as a captain and as a player. So the decision to replace him as a captain shud be a welcome break for him. Let him take this time to come back to form. Once he proves himself again, he's always going to get a second chance. Till then, let him calm down a bit and focus on things. Considering his nature, I'm sure he'll be back with a BANG!
PS: I don't know what happened to the header of the previous comment. It's weird!
8:34 AM
I guess your right Preethi, but I doubt whether Ganguly can make it back into the side. Then again, he has an uncanny knack of bouncing back from the dead. Chappell and the selectors may have had the last say, but Ganguly may have the last laugh.