Skipper Sourav on a sticky wicket
Sourav Ganguly?s captaincy seems to rest on how quickly a South African judge takes a decision on his ban. For the moment though, it looks like Rahul Dravid is set to captain India full time in the forthcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka this month-end.
SOURAV GANGULY’S captaincy seems to rest on how quickly a South African judge takes a decision on his ban. For the moment though, it looks like Rahul Dravid is set to captain India full time in the forthcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka this month-end.
Till late Wednesday evening, the Indian selection committee had received no instructions from the BCCI on the Ganguly issue.
As things stand now, the selectors are clear that Ganguly — serving a six-match ban that is being contested under appeal to the ICC’s one-man Disputes Resolution Committee (Justice Albie Sachs) — cannot be picked.
“If there is no word by 3 p.m. on July 18 (when the selectors meet to pick the squad) the team will be picked without Ganguly,” said a highly-placed source. “There will be no provisional team and Dravid will be named captain.”
The source added that even if Justice Sachs ruled in Ganguly’s favour after the squad had been picked, he would not return for the tri-series.
This, of course, depends on whether the BCCI gives the selection committee any instructions in the interim on whether to pick Ganguly provisionally or not. At the moment, there is no such proviso.
But sources say Ganguly can still hope — Justice Sachs, who’ll announce his plans on Thursday, is reportedly India-friendly and July 18 is four days away.