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Pressure mounts on Ganguly Wisden CricInfo staff - August 17, 2001
NEW DELHI (Reuters) India's eighth straight loss in a one-day final last month, did not help Ganguly's case either. "When a captain is not performing, it's very difficult for him to expect much from his team. The selectors have got to keep that in mind," said former Indian test player Maninder Singh. "Ganguly needs to give up captaincy and probably take some time off from the team as well," Singh, now a television commentator, told Reuters. Ganguly has also landed in trouble for losing his temper on the field. He was suspended for one match last month when he showed dissent after being adjudged lbw in a one-day match against New Zealand. He was fined 75 percent of his match fees for exchanging words with Sri Lanka's Russel Arnold in the same series. "When you are not doing well, these frustrations sometimes creep in. He needs to relieve himself of the pressure and go back to the basics," Singh said. Singh said vice-captain Rahul Dravid, who made his Test debut in the same match as Ganguly against England at Lord's in 1996, would make a better captain. "Dravid handles things better, he's performing well and he keeps his cool on the field," Singh said. Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, a television commentator for the Sri Lanka tour, said: "Dravid is certainly a future captain. He is India's Rock of Gibraltar." The 28-year-old Dravid, nicknamed "The Wall" due to his ability to stay on the crease for long hours, has led India to wins in both the one-day games he captained when Ganguly was serving one-match suspensions. Experts said Ganguly could also lose his place in the team to a younger player like Mohammad Kaif, among India's top scorers with 37 and 14 in the Galle Test. Kaif, 20, made his debut against South Africa last year, but lost his place in the team after Laxman chose to play down the order rather than open the innings. Singh said Ganguly could save his captaincy only if he pulled off a repeat of India's resurgent 2-1 win over Australia earlier this year after they lost the first test in three days.
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd |
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