Opinion Another Indian March

March 14,2001,saw V.V.S. Laxman score 281,an innings so dazzling that it would lift the darkness from Indian cricket and be the beacon for the incredible decade that followed. Exactly 12 years to the day,India will step out confidently at Mohali for the third Test of the ongoing series against Australia. A 2-0 scoreline in a four-match series is as good as a job half done. And as in 2001,it has been the double hundred that has kissed Indian cricket back to life.

The argumentative Indian cricket fan will debate whether Dhoni’s 224 can be spoken of in the same breath as VVS’s 281. What is important is that both VVS and MS ensured a very impressive Indian March. The timing of these twin turnarounds is interesting. For Ganguly,the 2001 triumph was his first series win against a top team. India went on to win 21 Tests under Ganguly,a record that would hold for eight years. With the recent resurgence,Dhoni overtakes Ganguly as the most successful Indian skipper ever. The new record could give Dhoni and Indian cricket the second wind they both need. Dhoni now has the chance to follow the successful path that Ganguly took after his u-turn. Like Dhoni,Ganguly had to fill key positions in the playing eleven. Rebuilding was a major part of both job profiles.

Ganguly would go on to discover and nurture Virender Sehwag,Harbhajan Singh,Yuvraj Singh,Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan. He would spoil them crazy,shout at them angrily on the field but fight for them in selection committee meetings. Even off-season,they could call him for advice,check on his family or just gossip. All through his stint,despite their occasional differences,Ganguly could reach out to Sachin Tendulkar,Rahul Dravid and Laxman for inputs and advice. Ganguly would take turns at playing Dada and Maharaj,in those early uncomfortable days,to manage his team and the all-powerful BCCI officials. In more recent years,Dhoni has also done the same,with unprecedented success,in the shorter version of the game.

But until very recently,Dhoni has led Test teams that were dominated by men from the Ganguly era. These were players blessed with sublime skills,phenomenal records and the sharpest cricketing brains. Respected around the world,they were seen as the best thinkers the sport has seen. Sehwag’s omission for the third and fourth Tests means Team India’s only connect with the Ganguly era is Tendulkar,a super senior who has long risen above petty leadership issues and found peace in the awe of his team mates.

In the days to come,Dhoni will have to discover his own Sehwag,Zaheer and Yuvraj. He won’t just have to back them on the field but also push for them in selection meetings. Plus,he will need to form his own core committee,which should not come across as a convenient clique. In a nutshell,Dhoni should form a team that can bring back memories of the Incredible Decade.

Ganguly’s equation with the then BCCI president,Jagmohan Dalmiya — a man he had known since he was a child — helped the skipper overcome administrative hurdles during those tough early days. That’s good to know,for Dhoni and the incumbent chief,N. Srinivasan,aren’t mere acquaintances either.

sandeep.dwivedi@expressindia.com