Ganguly Gang

It would be a gross distortion and glaring misinterpretation of facts if it is claimed that Sourav Ganguly's poor run with the bat is not affecting Team India's performance. His perilously short vigil at the crease has made him a butt of ridicule, but not among his band of boys. His Team India colleagues are sparing no words to acknowledge his contribution to the team's cause. Though Ganguly has been penalised much too often for his onfield indiscipline, he remains an inspirational leader par excellence. He had persisted with once-youngsters like Harbhajan, Kaif, Sehwag and Yuvraj in particular, when they were going through lean patches and has been able to pass on his confidence to the rookies. His present loss of timing and woeful shot selection has not deterred him from implementing innovations, the latest being Dhoni’s promotion up the batting order in the one-dayers. The present break in Team India's otherwise busy schedule will allow him to make necessary adjustments in his batting, so that he can be back with a bang in Team India's next international assignment. Ganguly, the modern Indian cricketing icon, should be retained as captain at least till the 2007 World Cup.