The Hindu : Sport : Question mark over Ganguly’s approach

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Monday, Oct 29, 2007
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Sport

Sport

Question mark over Ganguly’s approach

G. Viswanath

— PHOTO: AP

Sourav Ganguly.

Ahmedabad: Whether Sourav Ganguly is currently playing in the interests of the Indian team or for self is being mulled over by the National selectors. Some members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India are also aware of the happenings.

The news circulating is that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and vice-captain Yuvraj Singh have expressed their displeasure about Ganguly’s approach in the sixth one-day international against Australia at Nagpur.

This was the reason an attempt was made at the meeting here on Saturday to drop him for the first two one-day internationals against Pakistan to be played at Guwahati and Mohali. Ganguly was picked in the 15-member squad because the five-member selection committee could not arrive at a consensus.

Gambhir as opener

More than one selector told The Hindu that Ganguly’s approach in one of the Power Play’s was not in the interests of the team and it was a golden opportunity to replace Ganguly with Gautam Gambhir as an opening partner to Sachin Tendulkar. Dilip Vengsarkar’s committee finally decided to retain him in the squad.

The Bengal left-hander played in five matches against Australia. Because of rain he did not get to bat at Bangalore, missed the next match at Kochi because of a suspected hamstring pull, though an MRI examination revealed everything was fine.

Thereafter he was dropped for the one-dayer at Hyderabad. The BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said he was dropped, while the team management maintained that he was rested.

In the series that Australia won 4-2, Ganguly made 41 at Chandigarh and 86 at Nagpur, but was dismissed for ducks in Vadodara and Mumbai. Chasing 317, India lost the match at Nagpur by 18 runs. He and Tendulkar raised 140 for the first wicket and the southpaw departed in the first ball of the 37th over for 86 off 111 balls with a strike rate of 77.47.

Questions have been raised frequently in his long career that started in Australia in the Benson & Hedges tri-series match against the West Indies in 1992. After that tour he was dropped.

He roared back four years later with a century on Test debut against England at Lord’s.

BCCI’s gag order

Meanwhile, all the players who have contracts with the BCCI will not be allowed to talk to the media henceforth, except at official press conferences. The BCCI has taken the decision following interviews and reactions given by many players during the India-Australia series.

Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, Chief Administrative Officer, BCCI is likely to visit Kolkata during the camp before the first match against Pakistan at Guwahati and brief the players.

The BCCI had announced 33 contracted players and thereafter left-arm spinner Murali Kartik has been included in grade ‘D’ (Rs. 15 lakhs).

It is also understood that Vengsarkar too has been told not to write columns.

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