Sourav comes into the picture - Opinion seems divided within BCCI on Team India captaincy issue LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI
Sourav Calcutta: While coach Greg Chappell%u2019s fate is as good as sealed, opinion within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seems divided on the leadership issue.
%u201CI think it%u2019s time for a passionate captain,%u201D somebody involved with the selection process told The Telegraph on Monday evening.
He wished to remain anonymous.
While Sachin Tendulkar was vice-captain till the World Cup, the gentleman indicated Sourav Ganguly stood a better chance of getting back the captaincy, which was taken away in October 2005.
His argument: Barring the odd innings, Sourav has been %u201Cmost consistent%u201D since his comeback in mid-December.
In runs and averages, that translates to 214 (42.80) in three Tests and 509 (63.62) in ten ODIs.
Yet, it%u2019s not that Rahul Dravid doesn%u2019t have support in the corridors of power.
Somebody else associated with the selection process remarked he would %u201Cfirst%u201D like to interact with the World Cup manager (and selector), Sanjay Jagdale.
This gentleman, too, didn%u2019t want to be identified.
%u201CIt wouldn%u2019t be fair to judge Dravid%u2019s captaincy on the basis of what one saw on the TV%u2026 Just how warm was the team spirit in the dressing room? Did everybody prepare as they should have? These answers can best come from the manager,%u201D he said.
Sourav%u2019s performances have been well documented, but where will a tilt in his favour leave senior-most pro Sachin?
Surely, he wouldn%u2019t have accepted the vice-captaincy (in mid-January), after yet another poor tour of South Africa, if he wasn%u2019t mentally prepared to again captain India.
Sachin, however, had been reluctant to take up the responsibility when he last got the job (July 1999) and relinquished it some seven months later.
It was a listless tenure. Moreover, appearing weighed down, he%u2019d even forgotten to smile in that short period.
Sachin never quite came across as a charged-up and innovative captain in his first innings (August 1996-December 1997) either.
A great batsman isn%u2019t necessarily an extraordinary leader.
%u201CLook, a knee-jerk reaction won%u2019t help%u2026 Isn%u2019t the captain only as good as his team? We%u2019ve got to make a rational and not emotional call,%u201D is what a key BCCI official emphasised.
Dravid%u2019s batting may not have suffered, but he doesn%u2019t breathe fire and is, well, conservative.
Then, how about accountability for the awful body language throughout a miserable World Cup?
Significantly, at the moment, there%u2019s no move to %u201Cgamble%u201D and give the No. 1 job to somebody young.
Sourav is soon going to be 35, while Sachin turns 34 next month.
The BCCI, obviously, is keen to play with bat close to pad.
