The Hindu : Sport : Ganguly recalled; Laxman named vice-captain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 01, 2006
ePaper

Sport

Sport

Ganguly recalled; Laxman named vice-captain

Vijay Lokapally

SEE YOU IN SOUTH AFRICA: Sourav Ganguly will be banking on his experience to come good in the Test series. - PHOTO: ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY

NEW DELHI: Sourav Ganguly made an expected return to the Indian Test squad even as the National selectors sent a strong signal to the team management and the players that only performance will henceforth be the criteria for selection.

In a significant move aimed at ending the obsession with youth, the experience of Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman was richly rewarded. The stylish Laxman, whose countless contributions have often gone unrecognised, was on Thursday named the vice-captain in place of Virender Sehwag.

"We know his ability as a cricketer. He has led `A' teams with distinction. He has the best attitude for the job. We know he can do a better job in Tests and always improve as a player," was how the selection committee Chairman Dilip Vengsarkar backed Laxman.

Message for Sehwag

He also had a message for Sehwag. "He needs to perform and cannot take his place for granted." Returning to the squad was Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir. Punjab speedster V.R.V. Singh retained his spot. Those who will come back from South Africa are Ajit Agarkar, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia and Suresh Raina. "The selectors have reposed their faith in a struggling Irfan Pathan with Vengsarkar defending the decision saying, "Dropping him at this stage would destroy his confidence. In any case, he bowled well in the last match (at Port Elizabeth) and fast bowling, as I understand, is a matter of rhythm. He seems to be getting there."

Vengsarkar revealed he had a frank discussion with skipper Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell. "Both were extremely happy at Ganguly's return," he informed.

Why Ganguly?

Elaborating on Ganguly's selection, he said, "In Tests we will go with four bowlers and have to strengthen our batting. The youngsters have failed miserably. Ganguly will bat at No. 6 and also bowl 15 to 20 overs. So he makes up as the fifth bowler also. His experience, no doubt, is the clinching factor. With Mongia, Kaif and Raina performing below expectations I think Ganguly deserved another opportunity."

Without mincing words, Vengsarkar stated firmly, "Kaif, Raina and Mongia will have to return to domestic cricket like all others and perform in order to merit selection. Here I would like to tell performers like S. Badrinath, Y. Venugopala Rao, Aakash Chopra and V. Yomahesh that they don't have to lose heart. This time our emphasis was on experience and we didn't want to experiment with the untested."

Comforting words

Zeroing in on Badrinath, Vengsarkar said, "He is young and inexperienced but has a bright future. I see him playing for India soon." On preferring Gambhir to Chopra, he observed, "Chopra will get an opportunity, but this time Gambhir's claims were stronger." The selectors also have made it known to the team management that the "grooming" process should not be carried out at the international level.

"I just don't agree with this grooming process. It's fine at the under-19 or India `A' level but not at the highest level. There, you have to win, and not groom or experiment. You have to be ready to play. Can you ask the opposition to be a little softer on our youngsters saying that they are being groomed?"

Reflecting on the one-day debacle, Vengsarkar struck a defensive note. "We were not steamrolled. I agree our batting has failed. Our batsmen could not adjust to the bounce. We had our chances and didn't grab them. We had early breakthroughs in all the matches but if you don't grab your chances then you don't deserve to win."

Tough measures

On the selectors' meeting with the Board President Sharad Pawar in the morning, Vengsarkar said, "It was a purely administrative meeting. He wanted to know what went wrong (in South Africa) and how to improve things. We suggested that all domestic matches should be played at neutral venues to ensure level-playing field. The host association should be held responsible for preparing sporting pitches. If they fail, we have recommended a fine of Rs. 5 lakhs to be slapped on the host." Mr. Pawar has apparently responded in the affirmative.

The replacements will fly out on December 3 and Vengsarkar will join the team a week later with a mission to "support, motivate and raise the confidence level."

THE TEAM
Rahul Dravid (capt.),
V.V.S. Laxman (vicecapt.),
Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav
Ganguly, Wasim Jaffer,
Gautam Gambhir,
Virender Sehwag, M.S.
Dhoni, Anil Kumble,
Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh
Karthik, Irfan Pathan,
Zaheer Khan, Munaf
Patel, S. Sreesanth and
V.R.V. Singh.