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Laud Dhoni’s team but don’t forget the people who built it
While we celebrate reaching the peak in Test cricket, spare a few thoughts for the three protagonists — Sourav, Kumble and Wright — who shaped the destiny of this team, writes Pradeep Magazine.
While we celebrate reaching the peak in Test cricket, spare a few thoughts for the three protagonists — Sourav, Kumble and Wright — who shaped the destiny of this team.
While we all salute Dhoni and his men, let us not forget the man who helmed the team during its most turbulent period and played a major part in building from the ruins the present world-beaters.
Let us also not forget the man who lent this team the cutting edge and won many historic matches through his guile and accuracy in luring batsmen to their doom.
Ganguly was made India captain in the immediate aftermath of the match-fixing scandal and the team was in disarray. The main core — Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Kumble — was still intact but the real challenge was building a team around them.
One can find faults with Ganguly the tactician, but no one can deny him credit for backing genuine talent like Sehwag, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Yuvraj, despite these players not always being the selectors’ favourites. In India, it is far easier to dismantle a structure than to lay a strong foundation on which a solid edifice can be built. Ganguly achieved that unthinkable task and, in partnership with coach Wright, managed to bring harmony in a team comprising many individuals with explosive temperament. No mean achievement this especially when India were experimenting with a foreign coach for the first time.
That is where Wight played a significant role in understanding the needs of an aspiring team and lending a constructive hand despite his own idiosyncrasies and not always being on the same wavelength with the team captain.
The two, with a lot of help from the seniors, forged a partnership whose fruits we are seeing today. Another important cog in the wheel was Kumble, who kept working on his craft and with each passing day became a better and better bowler. He, more than anyone else, has played a major part in India’s wins and no wonder Tendulkar calls him the “greatest player he has played with.”
It would have been fitting had both still been a part of this team. There is no reason why Ganguly wouldn’t have been playing had distorted selectorial policies not forced him to quit a season or two too soon. Similar pressure must have weighed on Kumble when a combination of injuries, lack of form and unnecessary pressure forced him too to call it a day.
This is in no way to take credit away from Dhoni whose leadership combines the instinct of a gambler and the shrewdness of a general in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of his troops.
From here onwards, there is no summit to scale, but to stay there is easier said than done. There are going to be many stumbling blocks. We all know where we are heading in this age of Lalit Modi and the IPL.
Despite these roadblocks, excelling in Tests is the major aspiration and ambition of our players and Dhoni’s real test, by which we will finally judge his legacy, will come once the core of this team, already in its twilight, fades away.
It’s not easy to build a new team, even more difficult when the expectations are even greater.
But the signs are encouraging given the maturity and astuteness Dhoni has shown in blending the old with the new and the support coach Garry Kirsten has provided from behind the curtain.
