This time the captaincy issue in Indian cricket did not lead up to musical chairs. Rahul Dravid’s lack of success at the Indian Oil Cup in Sri Lanka all the more strengthened Sourav Ganguly’ cause. And, as expected, Ganguly was back where he belonged to.
Dravid was not a bad leader and he set a personal example with scores of 54, 52 not out and 69 in five innings in Sri Lanka. But when it came to tactical terms, he could not motivate his team to complete the conquest after taking a stranglehold in two of the matches against Sri Lanka.
This was in vast contrast to the traits of Ganguly who always showed broader imagination and was successful at stimulating players in crunch situations. And no one can dispute his record and leadership that led to 19 Test victories, a place in the World Cup final after 20 years and an epic triumph in Pakistan.
Ganguly had a lean season in 2004-2005. But not enough to warrant the accusation that he was living on past records. Overall, he has done enough to prove that he was the most successful skipper in Indian cricket.
As a leader, he brought innovative changes to the side and united the team in a way nobody has ever done before. Some of the victories were engineered by him as much as by his batsmen or bowlers.
He came up with 11 centuries in 82 Tests and 22 hundreds in 274 one-dayers. Coping with victory and defeat are integral part of a player’s life. And he also learnt from experience that if you are not performing well, the world can be a lonely place.
However, a captain can be only as good as his team. And any team are only as good as their last performance as Australia learnt to their dismay in the current Ashes series.
The Indian team have talent though they seldom realised their strength and often failed to play to their potential. Once the team show consistency in performance, everything is bound to function to near perfection. But that is easier said than done.
Until then, Team India need a tough and uncompromising leader. And only a person like Ganguly can remain unflappable in times of adversity. He is a great team builder. Above all, he values hard work.