The fact that brother Snehasish Ganguly was leading East Bengal, Saurav indicated, had something to do with the decision. ``There were also some officials in Mohan Bagan I was not happy with,'' the Indian Test star, slated to leave for Canada for the upcoming Toronto Cup competition against Pakistan, said.

Saurav, however, indicated that he would miss his former teammates, most especially former Test star Arun Lal who was the only one who maintained, throughout the three years of Ganguly's exile before his comeback against England earlier this summer, that he was a star in the making. ``Arun Lal has been an inspiration to me,'' he said. ``A guide, during my lean period.''

Arun Lal, in fact, was the only person of note who, when Saurav was picked for India's tour of England earlier this year, predicted that the left-handed batsman would finally perform to potential. And Lal was one of the first to welcome Saurav back, when he returned after performing prodigies in course of the England tour.

With the Ganguly brothers - Snehashish opens the batting for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and, in the early Nineties, was rated a sure bet for an India cap - spearheading their side, East Bengal look set to attract the fans. Whether their star power also translates into results in the fiercely fought league, of course, remains to be seen.

Copyright 1996 Rediff On The Net All rights reserved