'Honesty is missing in Indian cricket'

Cricinfo staff18-Sep-2005Ganguly is keen to hold on to his captaincy as that is the only thing which is keeping him in the team. He is just ruining whatever little legacy that he could have left behind. It is pathetic that he chose to speak out after a scratchy hundred against one of the worst bowling attacks, which he could not collar in the one-dayers. It is time he resigns and lets Greg Chappell form a good Indian team. If he chooses not to resign, the selectors must sack him. Raghushri IndiaThe recent controversy was always on the cards with both Ganguly and Chappell being strong-headed. In this situation everyone is at fault — Greg Chappell for his untimely suggestion of dropping the captain on the eve of a Test, Sourav Ganguly for making a dressing-room matter public mid-tour, Jagmohan Dalmiya for still running Indian cricket though he no longer holds any formal position and Ranbir Singh Mahendra for his near-negligible involvement in cricket matters despite being the BCCI president.Once the team returns to India, Ganguly, Chappell, Dravid and the Indian board need to have a meeting on what they think is best for Indian cricket. Now that things can’t be reversed, instead of regretting what has happened we should be looking forward, and hope for a clearer and more disciplined approach by all the authorities concerned with Indian cricket. Gaurav Agrawal IndiaIf you imagine the scenario which happened in English cricket approximately one year back, you would know how mature Nasser Hussain was to step down from the job after a century – a worthy one – against New Zealand. That has now allowed [Andrew] Strauss, [Kevin] Pietersen and the other young players to bloom, and now they have won the Ashes in outstanding fashion. Similarly, it is the right time for Ganguly to step down from both forms of cricket and let Team India choose a good replacement for him. It is unfortunate for us to see a guy who was the star performer for India in the triangular series sitting out of the team just because Ganguly wants to prolong his depleting cricket career. Anto Giscard United KingdomGanguly’s credentials as leader are well established. His lack of technical skills compounded by current lack of form has pushed him to a corner. I do not find any fault in Chappell’s opinion as it was made during a one-to-one with Ganguly. If I were Ganguly, the only way I would prove Chappell wrong is to make my bat talk continuously. It’s sad that Sourav chose otherwise and talked too soon and it gives an impression that he is distancing himself from not only Chappell but other team members too. He is a responsible leader and should not resort to whipping up emotions and try to gain brownie points which may work for some time. But if he sits back and sees the larger picture of Indian cricket, he will be able to take Chappell’s feedback professionally. Rameshkumar V IndiaSourav, you are a legend but the end is close now. Kaif and Yuvraj are the future of India. Hand over the baton to Dravid and I am sure India will be proud of you for centuries to come for what you have done for the country. E Ahmed United KingdomSourav Ganguly should now understand that he is the most unwanted player in the team. He is struggling with the bat, occasionally he bowls with very poor results and his fielding is probably among the worst of all the cricketers in the world. It is not that we have forgotten his days of glory, but if a coach has, in the team’s interest, politely put forward his views, there is no need to pack the bags. And then to make matters worse, he went public. The future of Indian cricket looks really gloomy now. Kawaljeet Singh IndiaChappell only echoed the feeling of millions of cricket fans, including me, by asking Ganguly to step down. Thanks Chappell Ishak KuwaitNo doubt Ganguly is one of Team India’s great batsmen. But unfortunately, with his current lean patch he does not deserve a place in the team. If he was asked to step down, why did he wait till the third day to go public? Does he actually believe that 101 off 262 balls against a team like Zimbabwe is enough to prove the critics wrong? If this is the standard set by our captain, then what will be the future of Indian cricket? Ajay Baderdinni IndiaChappell was being honest, we should appreciate that. Honesty is missing in Indian cricket. Remember, not long ago Hansie Cronje owned up his mistakes but did anyone in India follow suit? Let us accept it, Ganguly was great, but now he is a liability. Ganguly, please quit for the sake of Indian cricket. John Abraham CyprusSourav Ganguly has been among the Indian greats of all time. But he has not performed consistently for more than two years. Young talents like Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh are proving to be high-qualitybatsmen at the international level. It is the right time for Ganguly to do some soul searching, look at team-benefit rather than personal interests and resign as captain. Omar Bukhari PakistanSourav Ganguly is a fixed asset who has depreciated around 80%. He should gracefully resign from the captaincy and the team. He will help the Indian team much more that way. Santosh Singh IndiaGanguly dug his own grave by making the issue public. KK IndiaThe hyenas this time around are justified in pouncing on our wounded Bengal tiger, but do give adequate thought to the captaincy of Dravid. Does he look like a captain who can command all-round respect and control the team? Ganguly cannot solely be blamed for the dismal performance of the Indian team. He has his strengths as a leader and one cannot simply ignore his past. Singh UAEIt was absolutely not right for Ganguly to go public. This just goes to show his mindset — lie low as long as you are not performing but once you get a century, act like your place is ‘cemented’ in the side. Most Indian cricketers have this mindset and that is why India does not win crucial games. We need to concentrate on playing cricket right, putting the team before individuals, especially when a senior player is blocking some young player’s ascendance. Ganguly’s form seems to be returning but he should be modest about a painstaking century against a pedestrian side. Instead he is acting like he has proved all the critics wrong.The problem here is not whether it was right for someone to ask for his head or for him to suffer continuous loss of form. The problem is that he is obsessed with himself and NOT the team. That’s not something that makes a great captain. Bharat JataproluUnited StatesI think Ganguly’s use-by-date has expired. In India we think if somebody has done some good work at some stage of his life he should get a life membership. Chappell comes from a place where no sentiments are tolerated when the team is selected: just on the basis of performance you are in the team rather than how close you are to somebody or how well you played two or three years ago.It is difficult for overseas coaches to understand the Indian work ethic. These coaches work hard and don’t won’t any interference. Leave aside the Indian cricket board and players, even the media are in different camps, which is unfortunate. They make guarded responses to Ganguly’s performances. This way India can never be the top team in cricket. Ganguly should be made to leave. This will send a clear message to all that Chappell means business and that genuine performers are always assured a place in the team. Durgesh Rangnekar New ZealandNeedless to say, all is not well with the Indian team. First, to ask Ganguly to step down before the Test at Bulawayo was deplorable since he had already been chosen as skipper for the whole series. That said, Ganguly and Laxman could have done better than to make their comments public. However, let’s all pipe down. If we have been willing to be patient with a non-performing Tendulkar for a year-and-a-half or more, why not wait a few series more for the man who is his match in most respects.Remember, no one man deserves flak for the failures of the team. Ganguly’s form is, admittedly, in a slump. If it doesn’t improve, he should rightly be sacked. Abhishek Chatterjee SingaporeClick here to send us your feedback on the issue