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Who'll open? Sourav's ready, so is Dravid
In the ground, Sourav told Dravid, "You need not sacrifice your position for me."
More than the battering India got on Day I of the first Test, it was Sourav Ganguly again who dominated the headlines.
This time around, what caused the ruckus was a brief clip beamed on Ten Sports, in which Ganguly is seen talking animatedly to skipper Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell. Aired through the day, it triggered speculation that Ganguly was again in a fight with his coach.
Unfortunately for those who love to feed off sensationalism, it was a simple cricketing debate this time. Dravid, it transpired, had done a lot of thinking on Thursday night and had concluded: "It wouldn't be fair to ask Ganguly to open the innings."
In the ground, Dravid told Ganguly that he need not open as he himself had decided to take the slot.
What the world saw was Ganguly, who was mentally prepared to open the batting after his skipper has told him about it earlier, telling Dravid: "You need not sacrifice your position for me as I am ready to open". Sources said Dravid replied that he had batted on several occasions when the score was 0 for one, so it was no big deal "for me to open".
The story would have rested there. But it seems that when a Ten Sports employee went to Chappell to confirm whether a sheet of paper that showed Ganguly opening was correct or not, the coach cut out Ganguly's name and put it at the No. 5 slot.
And, in a manner of speaking, a mountain was made out of a molehill. But then if you are Ganguly, anything is possible these days. And it is likely now that Dravid might open India's batting and not his former skipper.
