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The Inside View: Issue 2

Tuesday, March 11 2003

Greetings once again from the desk and mind of Sangrah Bhatia. The Inside View is back for another fortnight and well, things just keep getting better for Indian Cricket. Today's article focuses once again on that ever controversial figure Sourav Ganguly and how his captaincy has affected India and what his future is for the future.

Right throughout 2000, ever since Ganguly took the captaincy, it has been a repair job for Indian Cricket. Rocked by the match-fixing scandal where it claimed two of India's best cricketer's, and fresh from a drubbing by South Africa, India needed a new man in charge.

Obviously when a man like Sachin Tendulkar starts to feel the pinch, who do you turn to next? Enter Sourav Ganguly, to tackle the hardest job in the cricket world. As Mike Hayesman quoted recently, "It always looks like he (Sourav) has the world on his shoulders". This statement is absolutely true. Sourav faces immense pressure as batsman and captain every time he plays a game, or faces up to the media.

After all, who would want a job which comprises of leading a side, followed by a billion people worldwide, only to have your head on the chopping block whenever something goes wrong. Who would want this job? But Sourav, mentally is a tough man, a fighter. Even though he may not appear like a Steve Waugh type of fighter, but mentally to tackle and cope with such extraordinary amounts of psychological pressure is quite remarkable.

But one thing which I for one fail to understand, is that how can this man's captaincy skills be undermined? Statistically he has done what no captain recent times has done before. Ganguly through his leadership has won many matches for India in tests both home and abroad, which make him one of the most successful skipper.

India's current winning streak in the World Cup is up to seven games, not only is this because of the genius of Sachin Tendulkar, the experience and know-how of Javagal Srinath, but also the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. But most of all, what makes him the greatest captain India has ever had is that he has united this entire Indian team, which is something, which has never, ever been done by any captain.

Throughout India's playing history there has always been political divisions, regional divisions, religious and ethnical divisions, but to Ganguly's credit and ofcourse the professionalism of coach John Wright, love is in this Indian team. They are genuinely happy when the other team mate is successful, the mateship which one would normally associate in an Australian team, is now further and further evident in this Indian lineup.

One of the most striking things that Ganguly said about this new "huddle technique" that the team get together in was that, "We are a team, we don't get much support (honest support) from outside, so as a team we must support ourselves". To me, this is a sign of great, great leadership and captaincy. A team is half-way there already to winning the World Cup, if the mateship, love and friendship is there.

Ganguly has the admiration, respect and support of his fellow team mates, and especially the youngsters. Another sign of great leadership is the way a captain supports his young players, and no doubt, Ganguly has done that. When Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag were going through tough times in their career, it was Ganguly who gave them the helping hand and gave them the much needed support to make it in this level, and just look at them now.

Criticism is often baseless, but when you put yourself into their position and weigh up all the positives and negatives, you appreciate the value they bring to the side. As for Sourav Ganguly's future, all one can say is, if he continues to love cricket, love life in general and score runs, there is no doubt, that he will retire as India's greatest captain.

Just to remind you all that your feedback is very much appreciated. Last week I recieved very little feedback, so come on send me any opinions, questions or general feedback at sangrah.bhatia@cricketweb.net, and I will try and answer any questions I can on Indian Cricket.

That's it for now,

Until Next Time,

Take Care,

Sangrah Bhatia


Posted by Sangrah