Don146;t know why

Fading or falling, it8217;s always nice to be a star in Kolkata. Ask Mithun Chakraborty, who8217;s face is up on posters all over the city...

Fading or falling, it8217;s always nice to be a star in Kolkata. Ask Mithun Chakraborty, who8217;s face is up on posters all over the city announcing the golden jubilee of his latest blockbuster.

And though Sourav Ganguly8217;s homecoming didn8217;t have the crowds out in full force, the 8216;We shall overcome8217; poster outside the airport and the obligatory burning of Chappell in effigy was more support than the captain has received of late.

And, judging by the buzz in the BCCI, more than the support he can expect in the next few days when cricket8217;s bosses sit with the issue. The writing is on the wall for India8217;s beleaguered captain. At the crucial meeting on Tuesday, Greg Chappell is likely to expand on the six points he raised in his famous e-mail, and end it with an ultimatum: Either him or me.

Asked about the Chappell e-mail, Ganguly said 8216;8216;I don8217;t know why he wrote it.8217;8217; The reason is, of course, obvious: Chappell is confident he will win the battle.

The Board, having invested in Chappell, is likely to back him and sack the captain 8212; if not immediately, perhaps after one more ODI series.

nbsp;	WHY HE SHOULD BE WORRIED

		nbsp;	1 Chappell is confident, has a case and the moral high ground. Having hired him in a high-profile exercise, the BCCI can8217;t sacrifice him now 2 The Dalmiya-Mahendra group is fighting a tight, possibly losing, election. Ganguly is too hot a political issue; backing him could go against them 3 Even without this controversy Ganguly would have been unlikely, on fitness and form, to survive till the 2007 World Cup. He is not the long-term prospect Story continues below this ad 4 The captain has little loyalty within the team; much of his 8216;support8217; stems from personal agendas. Everyone is in it for himself	nbsp;

8216;8216;Chappell needs to be backed to the hilt8217;8217;, said one senior decision-maker. 8216;8216;He has the moral high ground and there is no reason to even pull him up, forget about sacking him.8217;8217;

Something concrete will come out of the review, said another senior board functionary. 8216;8216;The board feels that things have really gone out of hand. This meeting won8217;t be a eye-wash. A significant decision is expected,8217;8217; he said.

What isn8217;t helping Ganguly is the fact that his chief benefactor, Jagmohan Dalmiya, is himself batting on a sticky wicket. The BCCI elections are still in the balance; with public sentiment against the captain, Dalmiya may feel it is time to cut the cord if only to woo the floating voters.

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8216;8216;We have to consider public mass sentiment too. The public sees the present conflict as Saurav being negative to save his place and Greg being positive to show results,8217;8217; says a senior board official.

If Ganguly does have some support, it is within the team. The mid-level players, for various reasons, are with their captain 8212; the man chiefly responsible for their rise. But it is not so much out of any loyalty as the fact that Chappell has trod on their egos.

His straight-talking has cut to size one dashing left-hander 8212; 8216;8216;You have a long way to go8217;8217; 8212; and a key batsman, who was told, 8216;8216;You can have all the talent in the world but it8217;s no use if you don8217;t convert 40s into big scores8217;8217;.

One former cricketer close to the team believes Sehwag has his eyes on the captaincy, and so wants Ganguly to stay for the rest of the season. By 2006-07 Dravid 8212; 34 at the end of that season 8212; will be deemed too old to be the long-term successor.

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The seniors in the team are seen to be backing the coach, whom they feel is the better long-term investment for the team as it rebuilds for the 2007 World Cup. It8217;s another matter, of course, whether the seniors will be in the team till then.

Back in Kolkata, Ganguly gave up playing hide-and-seek with the media to hold a press conference at his house. He trotted out the usual platitudes, giving nothing away, saying only that the team should be kept out of the controversy.

But his most significant statement was made in Mumbai, soon after landing early this morning.

Asked a question on his immediate future in Indian cricket, Ganguly said: 8216;8216;Things will soon get clear: Who remains the captain, who remains the coach and who remains in or out of the team.8217;8217;

This match isn8217;t over yet.

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With inputs from Ashok Malik and Jay Mazoomdaar in New Delhi

Sandeep Dwivedi

Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports. Professional Profile Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website. Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week. Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports. Areas of Expertise While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas: Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant. Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes. Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara. Notable Recent Work & Themes Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success. Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War. The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game. Tenure and Experience Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations. You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More