Times of India's take on Ganguly

Editor’s note: I’m reproducing this editorial the Times of India wrote on Sourav Ganguly.
Times of India is owned by Samir Jain and currently its executive editor is Jaydeep Bose. Times has an edition in Calcutta but then it has largest selling editions in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore.
The pan-Indian tone and tenor of this editorial not only reflects good judgment of the situation but is a clear reflection of their all-India readership. Now read the editorial.
Parochial Pitch
Few describe Sachin Tendulkar as a Marathi cricketer. Kannadigas don't seek to conduct identity politics around Rahul Dravid or Anil Kumble. And rightly so. Cricket has gone beyond being merely a national pastime; it is now a national passion.
The current ruckus over Sourav Ganguly's exclusion from the Indian team threatens to upset this consensus over cricket. Fanatics in Kolkata are out on the streets, some even disrupting road and rail traffic. Politicians from Bengal have overcome ideological differences to tom-tom their nativism. CPM MP Brinda Karat and Congress minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi are seething over the 'injustice' done to Ganguly. CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta seems to have discovered a new working-class hero in Ganguly and has dashed off a letter to BCCI president Sharad Pawar seeking amends.
Pawar, always a politician, has sensed the way the wind is blowing and has expressed distress over Ganguly's exclusion from the team. In any case, Pawar had made his sympathies for the former Indian captain well known when he described him as one of the "finest all-rounders India has produced".
Irony comes naturally to our agriculture minister. All that the BCCI can do now is to offer insurance policies to the seven men who "unanimously" decided to opt for Yuvraj Singh in the middle order and Wasim Jaffer for the opening batsman's slot. It can be argued that Ganguly, who has an illustrious past as a cricketer, should have been treated with more grace.But there should be no argument over the prerogative the five selectors, the coach and the captain have in team selection.
No doubt, they should be held accountable for their decisions. Every selection is subjective and open to criticism. However, the criticism should be located in the domain of sporting excellence. Its articulation should not be disruptive. Public opinion, especially in sporting matters, is fickle even if passionate. In such instances, parliamentarians, instead of echoing parochial sentiments, should step in, if at all they need to, and defuse the situation.
Let us not forget that Ganguly played for India on cricketing merits and not as Bengal's representative. A debate over Ganguly's value for the present team may not end in a consensus in his favour. But no good will be done to him if political pressure is used to force his entry into the team. Cricket fans should also show some concern for the team which is in the middle of a Test series.