Ganguly’s return to the side is a perfect example of politics in Indian cricket. Its obvious that Kiran More didn’t want him in the side. Neither did Dravid or Chappell. Sharad Pawar apparently spoke with Sachin and a few others including Ganguly himself and finally Ganguly was back in the side. Notice that the team already includes four players from the West Zone (Sachin, Agarkar, Jaffer, Parthiv). Go figure!
It will be a great test of the Chappel-Dravid partnership. Would they have the guts to do what the selection committe could not and not pick him for the playing 11? Probably not.
In any case, the pressure wll be on Ganguly. If he is picked for the 11, he’ll have to deliver or kiss goodbye to Test cricket.
It will be interesting to see if he is picked for the ODI side, if he performs well in the Test side! Last but not the least, it will interesting to see if India can win despite these controversies and bid Ganguly an amiable farewell. Considering the current form of the Pak team this might be too much to hope for!
Pakora Korner 