The go-to man in Indian cricket! Yes that’s one way of describing The Prince of Calcutta, who according to media reports could take over as the new Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president. Yes, speculations are strong that Sourav Ganguly, also the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) will replace Anurag Thakur who was sacked along with the BCCI secretary, Ajay Shirke by the Supreme Court yesterday.
Ganguly, fulfills the criteria as per the recommendations of the Lodha Committee and he enjoys support from some former cricketers including Sunil Gavaskar who strongly recommends Ganguly’s name for the coveted post. Well, it’s still some days before the Supreme Court-appointed committee comprising lawyers Anil Diwan and Gopal Subramaniam recommend names of the new administrators of the cash rich board, but Ganguly certainly has left behind others in the race.
This takes us back to early 2000, when dark clouds engulfed Indian cricket courtesy match-fixing allegations. Tendulkar quit captaincy and it was left to Ganguly who was preferred over Anil Kumble to handle the Indian team and get it out of crisis. Ganguly, didn’t let us down and what followed were some historical moments for Indian cricket that earned the team the tag Team India. The ghosts of match-fixing had disappeared, and it was only a strong breeze of positivity that egged the boys on under the leadership of the guy from Behala.
Here was a team that was not scared of its opponents. Even under the most difficult of conditions, the team stayed together and didn’t even shy away from looking the enemy in his eye, if the situation arose. The body language had changed, the mindset had changed. India had a skipper who was even ready to sacrifice his own batting position in the interest of the team. Team India had a captain who was ready to back his boys come what may and the results showed- under Ganguly, youngsters like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Mohammed Kaif and others matured as cricketers and some of them went on to serve Indian cricket for long.
Yes, Ganguly was never indecisive. He never hesitated from taking bold decisions, be it asking Rahul Dravid to keep wickets in ODIs or dropping VVS Laxman for the 2003 World Cup. Yes, in the process, he may have rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way, yet he put his foot down. The reputation of Indian cricket was at stake and it was Ganguly who provided the timely leadership to bail it out.
It’s 2017, and Indian cricket is on a difficult wicket yet again. The president and the secretary of the board have been shown the way out by the apex court. And the former BCCI president even faces charges of perjury. Yes, once again, there is crisis in Indian cricket, though off the field. And once again, it’s Ganguly, who according to many can use his leadership skills to take Indian cricket ahead.
But Ganguly, himself knows the job will be much tougher now than before. Yes, he has proved his administrative skills as the CAB president (a job that was entrusted to him after the sudden demise of his mentor Jagmohan Dalmiya), but if he at all takes charge as the BCCI president, history will beckon him. He would know it very well that this time, he will no longer have to deal with ten men on the field. It’s more than that and off the field and the whole world will be watching how Ganguly steps in to steer Indian cricket out of a mess once again.
Honestly speaking, Ganguly baiters might oppose his elevation, but what stands out for the former Indian captain is his ability to take decisions at crucial junctures. And his immense self-confidence and the charisma to have people rally around him are factors that can get him the job and he will be more than willing to take up this challenge. Yes, BCCI needs a man of his stature who exudes an aura of reverence and there is no one better than Ganguly.
We need to wait and watch how things unfurl, but millions of Indian cricket fans will be hoping that the right man takes office and Ganguly fits into our expectations. Ganguly is a fighter and the BCCI needs a fighter like him at this point of time to win back its credibility.