But the recent events have really upset everyone following Indian cricket. Greg Chappell and Ganguly have locked horns publicly and all the mud is out on the walls. Media is doing a great job in making it as ugly as possible but that is there job. But all said and done, it is not cricket. This is not what a cricketing nation like India want to see. There will always be stories inside the dressing rooms. But why should it be out in newspapers. This is another issue. But considering that of all what is published even if half is true, there is something seriously wrong with Indian cricket. Who is responsible? Nobody will ever know all the details. But it shows a very serious aspect of Indian cricket and the whole process.We are a country of hero-worshippers.
We had all time greats like Gavaskar and Kapil but even they had a fair share of criticism and bad phases in life. Who can forget the great match fixing saga and Kapil's interview on BBC. But public has short memory. They will come in millions to greet their heroes after a win and will paint their house walls black if they fail. Even a player like Sachin has not been left alone for no reason of his when people started speculating about his injuries and wrong choice of bat and what not. But Sachin has been an example. Perhaps the best in history of Indian cricket for carrying himself really well. The recent events just show how we need more players like Sachin to keep the dignity of the game.Saurav is great player. He has done a lot for Indian cricket. He has been a tremendous one-day players for years and the best captain in Indian cricket history (at least by statistics). But he has always been an eccentric person. He has his limitations. He more or less accepts them but he believes in himself to come out of it. He is a leader who will go wrong at times and accept it openly but will not back out. That was his strength in the past but it has now become the biggest issue in Indian cricket. His cricketing abilities are being questioned for quite some time but he was still considered the best captain till Greg Chappell decided to blow the cover. No doubt that Ganguly has one of the toughest job in the country but he has blown away his career by behaving in this manner in media. He has never been the best person to hide his emotions but this time it has gone too far.
I am not suggesting that all the fault is with Ganguly. If he is not supposed to be good enough to be playing in the eleven, then why is he chosen as the captain of the side.
Cricket does not have the concept of non-playing captain. Why should Chappell be suggesting Ganguly to step down in the middle of the tour. Why can't we have a system where we choose the playing eleven first and then the captain. And that's what Australia does and Greg Chappell is new to our Indian system. He is trying to apply the Australian concepts in India which will not work just like that. It is a fault of our cricketing traditions where we can not easily remove the heroes even though we have better people to replace them. We need to change this soon to protect cricket in India. Because of all the hype and money, it is not surprising that it gets to your head and everyone can not be a Sachin Tendulkar. Saurav needs to take a leaf out of Sachin's book. That will make all the difference between him being just the most successful captain and the greatest captain of all times for India. I just hope these things do not remain in headlines for too long for the sake of cricket.
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