Don’t know why

And, judging by the buzz in the BCCI, more than the support he can expect in the next few days when cricket’s bosses sit with the issue. The writing is on the wall for India’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 ‘‘I don’t know why he wrote it.’’ 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 — if not immediately, perhaps after one more ODI series.

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

Something concrete will come out of the review, said another senior board functionary. ‘‘The board feels that things have really gone out of hand. This meeting won’t be a eye-wash. A significant decision is expected,’’ he said.

What isn’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.

‘‘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,’’ 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 — 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 — ‘‘You have a long way to go’’ — and a key batsman, who was told, ‘‘You can have all the talent in the world but it’s no use if you don’t convert 40s into big scores’’.

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 — 34 at the end of that season — will be deemed too old to be the long-term successor.

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. It’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: ‘‘Things will soon get clear: Who remains the captain, who remains the coach and who remains in or out of the team.’’

This match isn’t over yet.

(With inputs from Ashok Malik and Jay Mazoomdaar in New Delhi)