The Truth About Sourav Ganguly

In the gallis they are talking about it. Primary school kids are probably discussing it in their classrooms. Grown men are discussing it in their living rooms and in their offices. It has become a national obsession. Must Sourav Ganguly stay or has the time come for him to finally go? That is the question on everybody’s lips and everyone from the local pan-walla to connoisseurs of the gentleman’s game have an opinion on it. To me the solution is simple. Ganguly the test player must go. Equally vehemently I believe Ganguly the one-day player must stay. He is a non-entity in test cricket, is just a mere fading shadow of his previous self, and as the saying goes Geoff Boycott’s grand mum would get him out. His presence in the test team is now an obstacle to the team’s betterment and his captaincy will be counter productive in the final analysis if he continues. Ganguly is an absolute necessity in the shorter version of the game, and an invaluable asset. His record speaks for itself-he is the third most successful one-day player of all time. His aggressive captaincy has taken India almost to the pinnacle of the one-day game. If India has to have a fighting chance of winning the 2007 World Cup it can happen only under Ganguly’s leadership. Kanishkaa says that at cricinfo.com where he works the consensus among his colleagues is that Ganguly’s future lies simply as a one-day player and captain. And I think they are bang on. His disastrous run in test cricket has started to affect his one-day game as was evident in the recent Indo-Pak series. And Ganguly is too much of an asset in the shorter version of the game to risk losing him. So Ganguly the Test cricketer has to be eased out for the sake of Indian cricket. And it is high time Rahul Dravid is made the test captain. He has earned it.