Sourav must go

Sometimes a day is all the difference between being hero and zero. On Thursday afternoon, India time, Sourav Ganguly had his fate in his han...

Sometimes a day is all the difference between being hero and zero. On Thursday afternoon, India time, Sourav Ganguly had his fate in his hand. India had won a Test and, with it, a series overseas; Ganguly had underlined his place in history as its most successful captain. That was his moment of glory, and he could have added to it by doing the honourable thing: stepping down with grace. He didn8217;t and, a day later, he no longer has that option. Whatever be the exact text of Greg Chappell8217;s e-mail to the BCCI, the sub-text is clear: Ganguly must go. The grey suits in Kolkata, hovering around the debris of what was to be a civilised board election, have been witness to many scandals; continuing with Ganguly would be another. He must go, not merely because of Chappell8217;s e-mail, or a falling average, or one run-in too many with authority, or for violating the basic ethic of team sport: making public dressing-room disputes. He must go because Indian cricket needs a change.

The balance-sheet will show that Ganguly has been a great captain, rightly credited with a lot of the good that has happened on the field and in the dressing-room since he took over. Remember, the dark days of the match-fixing scandal and its fallout. Indian cricket needed the smile put back on its face and the troika of Ganguly, coach John Wright and overlord Jagmohan Dalmiya worked together to just that end. Regional lobbies went out, meritocracy came in, there was a spring in the step and a glint in the eye of Indian cricket. Ganguly was godfather to the rookies, replacing the has-been coach or shady selector. He backed his troops to the hilt and fought in the trenches with them, and they in turn gave their all. It was a glorious couple of years before the cracks appeared.

What has happened since 8212; the journey from Lord8217;s 2002 to Bulawayo 2005 8212; is partly the fault of Ganguly, partly the fault of a game that has changed beyond anyone8217;s expectations and partly that of a shamefully indifferent administration. And the common root cause is money. It is money that has divided a team that once inspired us all by its sheer patriotism. And it is money 8212; in terms of the easy, and immense, revenue generated from television rights 8212; that has blinded the BCCI to its other responsibilities. The time has come to sort out at least one of those problems. Ganguly must go, but to a round of thanks and applause.