Maharaj finally dons the mantle

Maharaj finally dons the mantle

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 27: From a man whose inclusion in the Indian team for the 1996 tour of England was derided by the media as one smacking of `bias' to becoming a unanimous choice as India's captain. That is the story of Saurav Ganguly's rise to the top of cricket's hierarchy.

The `Maharaj' of Indian cricket was shown the door after playing in only one one-day international. Five years later, he made his re-entry into the Indian team. `Foul' cried the world and the selectors were put to sword. Within a matter of days, Ganguly, was making his critics go red with `shame' as he unleashed a century on his debut at Lord's and immediately after getting back to the dressing room, told the Press:``I hold no bitterness against you all. You are doing a job and so am I.'' It was a statement which disarmed all on that afternoon at the Lord's, showing a facet of the man who knew how to handle the demanding, hostile mediamen.

Over the years, Ganguly has grown in stature as a batsman and today is considered to be among the finest of his tribe but at the same time has faced a lot of criticism -- ranging from being a shirker, a man who does not work hard on his fitness and is even labelled as `selfish.'

During his stint as captain -- during the DCM Trophy at Toronot and at Singapore -- Ganguly impressed everyone with his shrewdness, fighting qualities and `instinct' for leadership, leading a former cricketer to remark: It seems leadership is making him forget his `self' in the dressing room.

There is no doubt that the Ganguly story so far has been the story of `evolution' and `growth' of a boy who has handled the harsh world of stardom well. It is to be seen how the second part of that story unfolds. These are terrible times for Indian cricket and not the best of times to be elevated to the helm. He has succeeded once, but will he be able to do an encore?