Doors not closed for Ganguly: Dravid (from HTCricket)
A wise man once said - "You can fool some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."
A wise man once said - "You can fool some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."
Mr. Rahul Dravid, I'm afraid, has either forgot this saying, or he is just trying to act smart by portraying an image of a real (!!!) captain who thinks of the good of Indian Cricket. On the inside, he plays a different role, the role of a "yesman" to the main plotter, and on the outside? Hah. Where were you Mr. Dravid, when the chairman of the selectors boasted that whatever happens, even if Mr. X keeps scoring runs in the domestic cricket, we are not going to think about him...
Why didn't you protest, Mr. Dravid?
Why didn't you protest, Mr. Dravid?
6 comments:
Hi Arijit
In 2day's scenario, most captains go along with their coaches in maiking strategies and changes. I don't think they should be called as yesmen. Also the style of functioning of coaches is different. Wright is as different from Chappell as chalk from cheese. Wright was more laid back and less dominating in his approach to coaching. Does that mean that he always toed Dada's line?
Importantly, captains do not air their opinions about selector's opinions at least in India! Simply bcoz they are prohibited from doing this by the BCCI itself.
I am no Ganguly fan, but I too strongly feel that the treatment meted out to him was shocking and totally undeserving with his status! He should have been given the choice of retiring on his own. Its another issue that people still feel that Dada had still a few more years left. Same's the case with Sachin now. Both might still make valiant comebacks, but the writing's on the wall. They must hang up their boots while the going's still good! I quote the legendary Vijay Merchant, who quipped when asked about his surprising retirement at the peak of his form, "Its better to retire when people are still asking WHY, rather than them asking WHEN!" Need I say more?
"Importantly, captains do not air their opinions about selector's opinions at least in India! Simply bcoz they are prohibited from doing this by the BCCI itself."
This is where I'll disagree. Didn't Ganguly fight tooth and nail for Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan? And if my memory is not betraying me, I think he fought for Dravid as well, at a time, when Dravid's slow pace in one dayers was a concern. I'm not saying it's payback time for Dravid - I'm just pointing out that, Dravid is deeply involved in this whole mess. He dosen't want Ganguly in the team, and that is why he tries to keep up a decent face. If he really wanted Ganguly in the team, there is no law which stops him from saying that. He is just trying to be diplomatic - by saying one thing in the media (that the door is open for everyone who performs) and agreeing to Kiran More in the closed door meetings (that we don't want to look back, and Ganguly can't be back in the team even if he keeps scoring in domestic matches).
What you are assumimg is hearsay. There's another version of the same story (hearsay?) which says that Ganguly promoted these youngsters to secure his own place in the team! Fact's that nobody wants to remember Dravid's positive traits now that he's become the captain. If u say that Dravid was pulled up for his low strike rate in ODIs , you should also say that he responded positively to it and see his strike rate now! Also don't forget that Dravid was again literally ordered by Wright-Ganguly combine to keep wickets in ODIs in order to accomodate an extra batsman. Didn't he do a decent job then? Why does everyone forget that NO CAPTAIN IN THE HISTORY OF TEST CRICKET HAS OPTED TO OPEN FOR HIS TEAM if he himself was not an opener! I can't see Dada sticking out his neck for this one! Dada should see the writing on the wall as should Sachin and gracefully fade out of the scene.
Well there is another "hearsay" that Dravid opted to open the innings just because he had everything to win - on one hand, he would get the accolades, and on the other hand he would become a martyr if he failed.
Every coin has two sides.
Yes, I do believe that Saurav's (and even Sachin's and possibly Laxaman's too) career is near its end. But, this is not the way to be treated. If Dravid is a true sportsman, he would say on the face of everyone that "Yes, I want Ganguly in the team, because he is successful in the domestic cricket" or "No, I don't want him in the team, because ..." (whatever reasons) - he won't say one thing infront of the media, and go back to the meeting to agree with More...
And, yardsticks - that should be same for Saurav, Sachin, Laxman, Kaif, Sehwag and even Dravid himself. Having a look at Kaif's last eight innings (with an average of 5.5) and Sehwags previous 10-15 innings, Sachin's disastrous failures - don't you feel that there is something more than just the performance issue? Rohan Uthappa is included in the team from nowhere, Venugopal Rao stays put without any decent performances, the top order crumbling everytime, and we are still...
If you agree that there is more than the performance thing in this issue, then you should also feel that IF Dravid is a true sportsman, he should be able to call a spade, spade.
Well said! That the performance is not the only issue is without doubt true. But to attribute the fact that it was Dravid himself who does'nt want Dada in the team is what I do'nt agree with. Yes, the coach and the selection comittee together dont want Ganguly in the team for all the reasons known and unknown. Dravid is just bieng used as the front man through no fault of his own. As far as number of chances being given to others is concerned, its a purely subjective issue. For some, even 2-3 chances given to a particular player is more than required, while for some, even 20 chances is not sufficient. By the way, Ganguly too had had enough chances as a batsman and as a captain. Everyone knows whats the quality of cricket being played in domestic cricket. So if somebody scores a double hundred in ranji/Duleep trpohy matches, it does'nt necessarily mean that he's a good player. Have'nt we seen the likes of Raman Lambas, Vikram Rathores and Carlton Saldannahs? Not to compare with Ganguly of course!
Coming to the point of hearsay about Dravid. I find one thing odd that no one appreciates the fact that a captain is ready to sacrifice his batting position by wicket keeping or opening in tests or ODIs just for the sake of his team! You still do'nt get the point that Ganguly never did such things in the interests of the team. Then can't we also conclude (wrongly?) that he too was selfish in order to preserve his place in the team?
Wicketkeeping - well, there is another hearsay that Dravid did it because otherwise his place in the team was at stake because of his sluggish batting:-)
And about sacrifice - As far as I can remember, during the England tour, I think in Leeds, India needed a lead, and that too with a fast pace - I think Sachin was close to his hundred, so was Ganguly. Ganguly guarded Sachin on one hand, so that he doesn't miss his hundred - and on the other hand launched an attack. Yes, both got their hundreds, and Sachin went on to score much more than the hundred, but Ganguly perished early in order to score faster. Eventually India won though.
It's not about sacrifices and performance in domestic cricket - it's all about dirty politics and personal ego. I'm not trying to imply that Dravid is a poor batsman or a captain...
What I'm trying to say is Dravid should come clean with a proper voice - if he is simply agreeing with the selectors, he should say that, if he is not, he should protest. That's all.
I would have done that if I was in his place - being honest and clear.
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