MARCH 18: I was never a great fan of Saurav Ganguly for reasons I do not wish to share. But I am pleased that I am being proved wrong by the self-belief of the Bengal southpaw. It gives me pleasure to read Saurav's mind. Rightly or wrongly, it is not for me to decide. The fact that Saurav is willing to assert himself - his purple patch with the bat notwithstanding - is more than fine with me. It always helps if the captain's personal form remains unchallenged by team-mates.To Saurav's credit, he is willing to be flexible and also treat his colleagues like adults. As I foresee, this trait of freedom of expression may not go down popularly with the authorities. But I would appreciate if Saurav is able to leave a stamp of his personal identity on the job in hand. Many feel there is a tinge of conceit and arrogance in his body language. What counts in the final analysis is his command over himself first, and then, the team he is leading.Lest I give the inkling of getting carried away by India's triumph in the One-Day International series, please allow me to emphasise that the shorter version of the game seldom turned me on. All the ``induced excitements'' are not the real thing. Give me Test cricket any day to assess the pedigree of any international player, Saurav included.In any case, the wounds inflicted on Indian cricket in England during the World Cup, then the gruesome pounding Down Under followed by unmitigated humiliation on our own designer surfaces are all too fresh for any pretentiously hollow celebrations. Yes, India may have discovered a ``He Man'' who is aware of the travails of captaining India and is ever willing to take the rough with the smooth. And he is also not averse to giving vent to his frustrations. That is what leadership is all about.It is impossible to please all and sundry. As long as one endeavours to please one's own conscience and sustains the eventualities gracefully, much of the restlessness will automatically disappear. There is little that a captain cannot attend to, provided he has earned the respect of teammates - particularly the bowling attack.Cricket is a batsman's game. Crowds flock to see attacking or artistic batsmanship. I have never known any bowler helping turnstiles swell. But when it comes to winning, it is the wicket-taking bowlers any captain would turn his attention to. A player who stands at fine-leg and occasionally refrains from admiring some female fans, just long enough to castigate his captain for not changing the bowling, is not recognisable as the same man when the onus of decisive action falls on him.To understand this distracting philosophy on a cricket field, Saurav may have to determine the ladies' men in his squad and then keep a cool eye on them when they patrol the boundary. The most important facet of a good leader is to have have ``humour'' as his best friend, guide and philosopher.``Dear mum, things are looking up. Today, I got a half-volley in the nets,'' wrote an English batsman in a letter home during an Australian tour. I am sure, despite the recent miseries, Indian cricket has a lot to laugh about - at itself for example.Hanif Mohammed got run out going for his 500th run and the fielder who got into the act exclaimed: ``No one ever scored 500 against me.'' These are the kind of quips which will keep the dressing room atmosphere happy, which in turn will bring about happier transformation on the field. Go for it Saurav and enjoy the stint while it lasts.- BISHEN SINGH BEDI
