The Maharajah achieves his dream

So ultimately Sourav Ganguly has achieved his dream. It is an ambition that he had nurtured for a very long time. He has pursued his goal of leading India with single-minded devotion. This zeal received a setback in 1992, but one that the Maharajah of Bengal overcame with blood and sweat.

He has had to wage many a battle. There were former cricketers with bared fangs, the ever-uncompromising media ready to pinpoint every fault of his. Except his family and a few of his close friends, Ganguly did not really have anybody to vouch for his talents. Yes, there are plenty today, with statements like, ``I knew he would come back with a vengeance.'' But at the criticla juncture, there was really nobody.

After being unceremoniously shown the door after the tour of Australia in 1992, Ganguly's first domestic match was the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla. He got an unbeaten 77 and then 52 in the second innings before getting out to Maninder Singh. It was during that match at an acute moment of loneliness that Ganguly had said, ``I do not think that I am incompetent for international cricket. But after having failed once, it will take a long time for me to get another chance. I hope that when it comes, I will be ready.'' He was, that particular evening, quite optimistic inspite of the acute depression. And then his struggle started.

Since March 1992, Ganguly rarely missed a day's practice. The famous Calcutta winter was tackled by batting and bowling on the `morum' (red clay) wickets besides the indoor cricket stadium of the Cricket Association of Bengal. It did not matter who the batsman or bowler was at the nets; Ganguly was always there. This struggle made him the stronger human being that he is today.

Ganguly, no doubt, will be a better captain than Sachin Tendulkar, if he gets the same number of opportunities as his predecessor. Captaincy is an art and Ganguly's education will make him a far better judge of men and situation than Tendulkar. However, it is his ability to always try for some new innovations will be the hallmark of his captaincy. There have been numerous occasions when Ganguly would analyse deeply the day's performance so accurately or pinpoint the mistakes committed that led to the loss of the game.

But then will he be able to transform Indian cricket overnight? I do not think so. Ganguly may bring about certain changes but above all one has to provide him with the necessary time span essential to make it effective. He has the ability to lead from the front, which is another important factor in his favour. Indian cricket, after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi has lacked a captain with a thinking brain and an ability to lead from the front. Ganguly definitely relishes a challenge.

Questions have already come up like whether he can handle three former captains in the side, namely Md Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Ajay Jadeja. In his own way, Ganguly has cleared these doubts. ``They will be playing for the country and not for me. So I think they will always be there to help me. I will always go to them for advice. But the final decision will lie with me,'' says the new Indian captain. He also makes it clear that the batsmen will have to perform if they want to stay in the side. These are statements basically to show to the people that he is the ultimate boss. The time has come for the `boss' to resurrect Indian cricket.