A stunning defeat for Ganguly brotherhood

By John Cheeran
The biggest losers in the elections to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) are Ganguly brothers. Snehasish and Sourav are left to lick their wounds at leisure as they could not unseat Jagmohan Dalmiya from the CAB.
It is interesting that the former President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has termed victory in the factional war in a provincial cricket board as ‘his biggest achievement.’
The message is loud and clear to Dalmiya’s detractors on his own turf.
Dalmiya’s victory is hardly surprising. Dalmiya, who ruled over the CAB, since what seems time immemorial, had built up a network of trusted sycophants. Old favours are hard to be forgotten. And this election proved to be so.
Dalmiya’s win is also remarkable in its context. His opponent was Prasun Mukherjee, West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharaya’s candidate. But the ruling Left Front or even the CPI (M) were hardly united in their support of Mukherjee, the Kolkata City Police Commissioner. Dalmiya’s old boy network through sports minister Subhash Chakravarty did the trick there too.
But amidst all this, do not forget the former Indian cricket captain.
Souav Ganguly deserves our pity.
He was led to believe that time has come to switch loyalty and the end is near for Dalmiya in Indian cricket.
Those who termed Ganguly’s ill-timed email as a masterstroke in cricket politics are left ruing their judgment now.
Ganguly, being the man he is, will have no scruple in crawling back into Dalmiya’s favour. But Dalmiya, the wily warrior that he is, will be ruthless in his approach.
Who needs Ganguly anyway?
Not the Indian team.
And as for Dalmiya why should he back a dead horse now?