Ganguly vs. Chappell..

For the erstwhile crowd who is cricket ignorant, Ganguly is the ex-captain of the Indian cricket team, and Greg Chappell, an Australian test great, the Indian cricket team's current CEO/coach.

Having an NDTV video subscription (for those who are interested..it's really cheap.. $5 for 500 mins of 100k live/recorded streaming per month) helps me follow the state of affairs in India far better than reading articles online.

I was not surprised to see why Ganguly's exclusion from the team raised hell in India. But what indeed surprised me was how today's BCCI meeting for the selection of the Men in Blue turned into one of the most hyped events of the year! The entire nation and the barrage of media-persons.. all of whom were waiting for just one important outcome of that meeting...

"Will Ganguly be a part of the squad to Pakistan?"

I pity Greg Chappell. Had he been the coach of any other cricket team in the world, he could have reasoned his way out when it came to the inclusion/exclusion of any deserving/undeserving player. Sadly, in India, "logic" is rarely in the picture. A lot of external factors come into the picture, such as Jagmohan Dalmiya (ex-ICC president, ex-BCCI president, but Ganguly's godfather - for ever!), political headweights, caste, creed, reservation, number of cricketers per zone etc. Chappell finally succumbed.. and as a result, the answer to the question above..is Yes!

The entire situation is simply disgusting. Yes, I'm strongly in favor of Ganguly's exclusion. Granted, he has done a lot for Indian cricket, but remember, he is a player first, and then a captain. It's been ages since he has come up with a match winning performance (I don't judge by the number of centuries or the average).Moral of the story.. poor performances must and should cost you a place in the team.

Another thing which disgusts me is the attitude of certain cricket fans in our country. There was this group of people who were on a hunger strike outside Ganguly's residence in Kolkata after the "shocking" decision to drop Ganguly for the 2nd and 3rd tests against Sri Lanka.. and now rejoicing at the fact that "Dada" is in the team...

If I remember right, Ganguly's inclusion for the first test against Sri Lanka was when Dalmiya was the BCCI president. And then came Sharad Pawar.. Exit, stage left, next 2 tests, Mr. Ganguly.. Coincidence? Chappell wins round 1...

And now, momentarily, Ganguly has won round 2. Futuristically speaking, I don't see Ganguly playing the 2007 World cup, and neither does Chappell.

Just for kicks: This is what Greg makes as ringmaster of the Indian squad:

"Indian cricket chiefs say they have offered ‘each and every thing’ to new coach Greg Chappell, including an annual basic salary of between $175,000 and $185,000 on top of a pile of perks.The former Australian Test captain, who last month replaced New Zealander John Wright as India’s coach for two years, will be given a daily allowance equal to that of a player during matches, the Times of India reported Tuesday. Chappell is scheduled to arrive in India this month to prepare the team for a triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka in August. Wright was preferred to Chappell in 2000 reportedly because the Indian board felt the Australian was too expensive, but Mahendra said the new coach would be getting “the same package which we had for Wright”.Chappell will receive an annual travel allowance not exceeding Rs 860,000 ($20,000), a share in logo money, communication expenses when with the team, a flat and 70 days annual leave. The former Australian batting great will be also be allowed to express his views through a newspaper column or a news channel."

Source (out of courtesy, of course) : The Daily Times.

Lastly, Mohammed Kaif... His exclusion from the squad is a dampener for Indian cricket. He's been in the wings for so long now.. We talk about giving youngsters a chance, but these lads don't remain young forever..

The good news amidst all this.. my sis smashed both her lab exams (externals) !!