Cricket: Ganguly and Team Selection.

I need to clear the air before readers of this post begin to assume things. Please don’t. This post isn’t about Ganguly not being selected and selection committee being parochial or partial. The issue of this post are quiet different.

Indian selectors aren’t exactly looking at performances.
Ganguly is not helping himself.

1. Indian selectors aren’t exactly looking at performances: The team selection is not the biggest issue although I am now baffled about Ganguly's exclusion. But I wish to cover that later. The team was announced last evening and I am stupefied and not happy with the timing of the selection. The team could have been announced after the tour match was wrapped up and we would have seen the performances of both batsmen and bowlers. I will put up the case of some players.

V.R.V. Singh: The big burly fast bowler, dubbed medium pacer on Indiatimes.com, did not do too much in the first innings and is slated to be in the squad. He will be lucky to be start in playing eleven. I don’t think this time around Nagpur pitch will be green in colour.
Wassim Jaffer: This is a characteristic of most Indian batsmen, getting out when ready to move on. He played a breeze knock of 48, got a start and then at the end of the day got out to last delivery of the day. I guess we have seen that. It isn’t a sign of things to come I hope. He will probably star in the playing eleven.
Piyush Chawla: Did not play this match. He might get a look in if the pitch is labelled “for spinners only”. He is a good talent though.The following are the players, which were left out of squad for first test.Munaf Patel: A counter balance to VRV Singh blasted the English and rattled them on a lively pitch and offering a decent bounce. His tally is six English wickets out of eleven, which have, fell until now.
Gautam Gambhir: He being an Indian batsman also has a seed of the characteristic already discussed. I think Gautam got real Gambhir after not being picked. He struck a strokeful 108.I think they both have done well. I think it would have hurt the selectors much if the team announcement with held for 48 hours. If they had done so the squad formed would have been, much more “performance” oriented. The players who did well with either bat or ball have not been rewarded with a test birth at least for the first test. They would be right if they feel let down.This is the end of my first argument.

2. Ganguly is not helping himself. : The maestro Sunil “Sunny” Gavaskar said to Ganguly not to think of retirement at 33. This would have been some words of solace, which would have been music to Ganguly’s ears. If Gavaskar thinks he still has enough to play for India again; which I am sure he will, then he shouldn’t be opting for a second opinion. The matter is not is Ganguly scores or not. I think it is the attitude thing. The players are not exactly appreciative of Ganguly’s behaviour or attitude off the arena. At least Freddie Flintoff isn’t. I read a point somewhere that he doesn’t have to be goody goody to everyone he meets. I think there is correction required here. One cannot be bad to people because no one is indispensable. Be good do good. Two, is it very hard to be good to people? This good bad is just his behaviour. He should be credited for giving opportunity to many of the players, which are the part of the team.He is not participating in the first class matches. What is the reason? Is it due to some “hidden” injury? If this is so, the selector did well not to select an injured player. Or is he too big a player? I hope this is not reason. Nobody is bigger then the game.
Sourav is not doing himself any good by not playing. If he plays, he has a chance of scoring some runs and compiles some creditable performances, which can pave the path for a comeback. If he doesn’t play much to the joy of his critics he has no chance to make a come back. I bet his detractors and critics will not be the one who will be complaining. If there is some sort of end of road for Ganguly, it is the captaincy. I don’t see him captaining the side for 2007 World Cup for which he has to be sure of his place in the side. A bitter pill is no more bitter, once it has been swallowed. It is a suggestion for people who still consider Ganguly to be the captain and see his stellar-now-archived records as a reason to be the part of the team. I think Dravid has done a fair job so far. I think he has enough in him to be at the helm of affairs as long as he remains consistent. He is in some sort of consistency in both forms for the past couple of seasons if not longer.