Sourav Ganguly - The Santa Claus of Indian Cricket

As the City of Joy turned into an inferno of sorrow last evening, discussions started at all levels about bringing in a complete overhaul of Indian cricket. The defeat at the hands of Pakistan last night at the Eden Gardens was indeed humiliating. More so because of the way the star studded Indian team surrendered at the hands of their neighbours. The intent was visibly lacking in Team India right from the word go. The manner in which the Pakistani openers blazed away was an eye opener for one and all that it is high time to bring about a few changes. Some really big ones.

After the initial set back, the bowlers managed to restrict the Pakistani total to a moderate 250, which in modern day cricket, is bread and butter to chase down. But the Indian contingent proved otherwise. The famous Indian batting line up, packed with dynamos, failed miserably in their own den and presented Pakistan an eventual easy win on the platter! Were the Indian cricketers justifying the catch-line of the tournament “aman ki asha” by presenting the neighbours with such easy victories? Spare a thought for the thousands of supporters who come to shout for their team, braving weather and numerous other difficulties and these days, more often than not, return home disappointed at their ‘beloved’ team’s horrendous performances.

Every team goes through phases that Indian cricket is going through right now, especially at those junctures when the old war horses put up their shoes and make way for the younger ponies. The problem with the Indian team is that this ‘lackluster phase’ is continuing for quite some time. Another problem is of course the way in which the BCCI hotshots, the selectors and the team management are selecting the team for different tournaments. Performances in the domestic circuit are given almost no importance, rather the postal addresses of the players and that of their IPL franchises are all that matter. What else can be the justification for keeping players like Manoj Tiwari and Ajinkye Rahane out of the team and people like Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma getting innumerable chances even after failing miserably almost every time they go out to the field?

In a cricket team, the most important role is probably played by the captain, especially at times when the team is going through a difficult and low phase. Dhoni, over the years, has earned a reputation of being able to keep his cool in times of difficulty. This quality has helped him in the past to overcome crunch situations, both on and off the field. But this time, it seems he has preserved his brains in ‘cold storage’ for far too long, so much so that it has stopped functioning. It is obvious that the newer players coming into any team will be short on confidence, more so in this team simply because of the fact that these people are stepping into the shoes of legends, the likes of Sourav, Sachin, Rahul, Laxman. Just to cite an example, it has been more than 4 years since Sourav Ganguly retired from Test cricket. In all these years, no replacement has come up for him. I am afraid, but in all probability the same is going to be repeated for Sachin, Rahul and Laxman. It is the responsibility of the skipper to make the youngsters feel at home. This is where Dhoni has failed miserably. Instead of standing by the youngsters and making them feel comfortable at the international circuit, he blames them for the failures of the team. Last night, Ashoke Dinda bowled badly, but what was the captain doing on the field? Shouldn’t he have gone up to the bowler and helped him steady his nerves? The duty of a captain is not just to go out to the field and just bat, bowl (in this case keep wickets) and come back. The captain should have the ability to lead the team from the front, to motivate the team and to stand by the players against all odds.

The reason why Sourav Ganguly was such a successful captain is that he did all of that brilliantly. He brought along a breed of new cricketers and stood by them against all odds. He fought for each one of them and was able to absorb all the pressure himself, this way he acted as a shield for the team. Sourav did not believe in regional bias and performance was the only yardstick to get selected in the team, not postal addresses of the players. He led the team with a lot of aggression and that, unfortunately, is what is lacking in Dhoni’s captaincy. Being ‘captain cool’ is good, but at times, in a world full of competition, the leader has to be aggressive as well. It helps to motivate the team and bring the best out of the players.

Sourav was a person who believed in leading the team from the front by setting an example for the rest. Sure, he got involved in a number of controversies, but always remained at the centre of all action. Dhoni, by nature, is not an outspoken and an extrovert, so it becomes all the more difficult for him to motivate the team when the conditions become unfavourable. What is most needed in such troubled times is team spirit and the captain must ensure that it prevails. Unfortunately, Dhoni seems to have lost control of the team (leave alone its spirit) and most players seem to be visibly unhappy with him (not Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma of course). The first step towards the betterment of Indian cricket is to set aside all the disorder prevailing in team selection. The last time Indian cricket passed through such a phase was back in the year 2000 when Indian cricket was marred with match fixing scandals and some of the senior cricketers had to be axed. But then, India had a certain Sourav Ganguly who emerged as the ‘Santa Claus’ of Indian cricket and maneuvered the team efficiently out of the dark clouds and brought back the sinking Indian ship to the orbit of success.

In light of the recent debacle of the Indian team, many (including some former cricketers) are suggesting a lot of changes to be brought in. One such change that almost everyone is pitting for is replacing the present coach Duncan Fletcher with Sourav Ganguly. Quite expected that is! Even after all the ill treatment, all the insults, all the ignorance, 4 years after that forced retirement – today when Indian cricket is in tatters, we all once again look up to the one and only ‘Santa Claus’ of Indian cricket. The original creator of ‘Team India’ is probably the only person who can help steer this team out of the black hole that it is in right now.

We do not know what future has in store for us. Whether BCCI really is going to offer the job of mentoring the team to Dada, and more importantly, whether the Calcutta southpaw would take up the responsibility – we do not know. Just a humble request to the BCCI, if Sourav (or any ex-cricketer for the matter) takes up the responsibility, make sure that he gets the respect he deserves. He has done a lot for the nation over the years. Under his leadership, India managed to get rid of the ‘soft traveller’ tag. Indian cricket saw a new dawn under his able guidance and became a force to be reckoned with. He taught us to look into the eyes of the opponents and not to give up till the end. Most of the players who featured in the World Cup-winning team in 2011 were brought into the Indian side by Sourav. He, infact, had to fight a lot of opposing forces to bring them into the team. But all that he got back in return was an abrupt, forced end to his career which could have easily stretched for another 2 years. Let us not repeat the same ‘mistake’ twice and welcome Dada with respect and grace in a new role!