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Journalism of Courage
When the national selectors did eventually announce the captain8217;s name, it was no surprise. Nor the fact that it was a unanimous decision. What was a surprise was the tenure 8212; two series, as opposed to the expected sole tour by Sri Lanka.
The decision was a clear sign that the BCCI is backing Greg Chappell, giving him the ammunition to carry out his campaign for the 2007 World Cup. And Chappell all but beamed when talking about Rahul Dravid, the 8216;8216;good thinking cricketer8217;8217; this evening.
The extended trial is also a reflection of the fact that the selectors 8212; and the other powers that be 8212; have learnt from their mistakes. After Dravid was relieved of the captaincy following the tri-series in Sri Lanka, it was widely believed that the Bangalore cricketer was no longer interested in the captaincy because of the short-term duration and because of the state of the team.
Today8217;s decision solves half the problem. A dozen matches on the trot 8212; and all in the compressed space of five weeks 8212; should be enough time for Dravid, currently in Sydney for the ICC Super Series, to show just what he can do.
The other half of the problem appears to be sorting itself out. Team unity may not be so difficult to foster when the 8216;rebel8217; elements figure out that the only way to survive is to perform, and perform together.
To this end, Chappell has already begun dealing with dissidence 8212; real or potential 8212; in his own way. After his bizarre outburst against Chappell at the height of the e-mail issue, Harbhajan was reprimanded by the Punjab Cricket Association. Over the past few days in the Challenger Series, Bhajji was spotted several times in friendly conversation with the coach.
Yuvraj is another about whom Chappell initially professed misgivings, with regard to temperament and durability. Yet the batsman8217;s form and intent have so impressed the coach that he went on record on Tuesday saying Yuvraj had taken his game to another level.
If the team can start winning, unity will flow back automatically and captaincy will become relatively easy.
The onus now lies on Dravid to prove he can make good use of something he has so coveted for so long. His captaincy in Sri Lanka was not the best, and India this season have won just two of the seven matches played under him.
He is not a naturally aggressive or gregarious person as Ganguly is and will need to work hard to win over some of his less subtle teammates. And Ganguly8217;s shoes, though a little worn-out at the moment, will take some filling in; the Kolkatan set a standard for success 8212; before lowering it himself 8212; that will be hard to match.
