The rage of Sourav

Looks like I shall have to stand corrected. Sourav Ganguly will in fact not "go gentle into that good night." Instead, he will "rage, rage against the dying of the light." Chances are that he reads more Rabindranath Tagore than Dylan Thomas, but perhaps his half-season with Glamorgan provided the inspiration for this latest comeback. Individualism at it's very finest - his selection for the tour of Pakistan is surely to the detriment of the team and other promising talents.

It's remarkable how every time I think that Indian cricket has turned the corner, it finds yet another way to leave an indelible stain on it's very essence. Even more intriguing that it appears that Ganguly is not solely responsible for the situation he finds himself in. Amazingly enough, Sachin Tendulkar, who once urged the selectors to harness the talents of Paras Mhambrey and Nilesh Kulkarni, amongst other Mumbaikars, had some input into the BCCI decision to require the selectors to take Ganguly to Pakistan.

One can only wonder what the captain, coach and remainder of the team make of this. A player is dropped, Indian cricket marches further down the road to professionalism, but before you can say Saurav Chandidas Ganguly, said player has politicked his way right back into the team.

And what of Mohammad Kaif? Dropped, ostensibly because "he hasn't had much of a chance to play." One can only wonder if his lack of opportunity is related to Ganguly's presence in the squad. Which in turn begs the question - what role is Ganguly going to play in Pakistan? Is he now going to play ahead of Yuvraj, in favour of whom he was jettisoned just a fortnight ago? And if not, then how is it that it is appropriate to take him as drinks waiter now, when it was "not worth it" last week? Given his reputed performance as twelfth man in Australia in 1991-92, one can be pretty sure that little rational thought has gone into this decision.

I don't want to wish ill on Indian cricket, but I hope this move backfires spectacularly. I will be abused for expressing that desire, but how else will we ever learn?

There was a silver lining in the squad announcement - the restoration of Parthiv Patel. The much-maligned youngster is one for the long term future, without a doubt. His doughty spirit and temperament are second to none, and for all the criticism, his glovework is no worse than that of his rivals for a position. Full credit to him too - he got back into the squad without the intervention of parliament, and without grown men in his home state embarrassing themselves on his behalf.