Dravid throws a lifeline to Ganguly

By John Cheeran
India’s inconsistent batting efforts this season has been a source of worry for skipper Rahul Dravid.
We all know vice-captain Virender Sehwag is out of form after he feasted on the flat tracks in Pakistan.
Sehwag is still part of the team, a luxury that was denied to Sourav Ganguly.
Sachin Tendulkar is out of form and his shoulder surgery resolved a selection problem for India.
But are the replacements ready to grab their chances in the batting lineup?
They better should.
Opener Gautam Gambhir refuses to learn from his mistakes and Suresh Raina should display the guts and gumption to soar over the pedestrian stuff that he has dished out so far.
Now, the most important question.
Could Ganguly have stabilized the Indian innings?
The Bengal player’s supporters would believe so, but take it from me, Ganguly would have struggled against the kind of quality bowling attack presented by England.
Old problem persists.
Except a few, Indian batsmen are not capable of taming consistently good pace bowling.
Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff, at their best, do not offer batsmen freedom to play carefree shots.
Test defeats in Mumbai and Karachi amply illustrate this point.
To gloss over incompetent batting, it would be silly to blame toss and its consequences.
Indian batsmen’s woes against fast bowling, quality fast bowling, is a problem that is not going to vanish soon. Even the presence of a batting great such as Greg Chappell has not improved matters.
The lack of consistency of Indian batsmen, however, has made the life difficult for Ganguly.
Every time an Indian wicket falls, Ganguly must be thinking that he has only a little way ahead to sneak back into the team.
It is a terrible thought that has the potential to wreck Ganguly’s life, beyond cricket.
Ganguly does not have it in him to stage a comeback into Indian team on honourable terms.
And I’m sure, Bengal’s hero, will lament the conspiracies to keep him out of the team, despite Dravid making it clear that “We are not writing off anyone- irrespective of whether it is a Ganguly or a Kumble—Anyone could be in the team if you are playing domestic cricket, and if you are doing well (and) as long as there is a place for you in the team.”
Is there a lifeline for Ganguly in those lines?