World cricket recognizes Sourav Ganguly as one of the best captains for India and in the world. There are reasons more than words can explain. Everyone knows that he took over the reins of the team at the worst time of Indian cricket which was overshadowed by dark clouds of match-fixing in 2000. Big names fell on their knees, some proven guilty and some not, some still fighting for justice. This was the time when the fans questioned their idols. They realized that the priests of their other religion had betrayed them. A revelation that shook the foundation of the gentlemen’s game!
I remember there were skeptics when he was chosen to lead the team. I was one of them. And boy oh boy, did he lead! India started winning games. We began winning abroad. Ganguly realized that he had some great players on the team. He needed a few more to make the perfect combination. Sehwag, Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Zaheer to name a few found their place in the playing 11. This was a good combination of experience and hot blood. The team had taken a new turn in its destiny which led it to become a force to reckon with. And this team bought back fans to the matches. People again started switching their channels to where the match was on. Everything was back in order. 
Ganguly allowed his players to counter the opponent’s aggression with the player’s own style. Some preferred to let their game do their talking. The young blood blindly followed their captain and even used words to a good extent. The team who used to look away started looking back straight into the eye. And even initiate sledging. Even the coolest head of world cricket, Dravid didn’t stop himself from matching fire with fire. And we, the fans loved the challenge and relished the victories.
However, now I feel the team is doing good when it comes to performance but the current trend of their mindset is something I am worried about. In the long run, it might grow into a bad tree from this seed. The seed of arrogance! We have a great team now. The team is capable of reining as the champion side repeatedly. We have our best pace battery now who has won us matches on many occasions. Bumrah, Bhuvi, Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Pandya to name the regulars. Soon we will have more fast bowlers coming up from the domestic circuit. The future looks hopeful. And then there are players like Shaw & Gill who are just waiting to get an opportunity to play in the main 11. We know that knock on their doors isn’t too far away. IPL has turned out to be a farm for emerging players. This is working very well for India.
The commercialization of the game has also been a hidden enemy for its own good. The way fans have started seeing their star players have changed. Earlier they considered them as gods, legends, inspiration, etc. Now they are seen as glamorous celebrities. People now don’t want to be like them but be them. The sense of falsehood has started creeping in. The rise before the fall! Well, I certainly hope there’s no fall ahead but if the management doesn’t act on the discovered disease, it will turn into an epidemic. It always has. And the treatment has to start with the people who are holding the responsibility of managing the players and developing them.
I was shocked to learn that the top section of BCCI consisted of people who have had negligible playing stats. India has always had great cricketers. They are now either commentators or somehow related to the game in a minimal way or doing absolutely something different. Well, I am not correct entirely. They appointed Ravi Shastri as the coach and he shared the accolades of the victories with the team. This is a good team, its bound to win more games than others but what is lacking are championship trophies. India under Kohli & Shastri hasn’t won them. We are among the top 3 teams in all 3 versions of the game but no trophies to show when it comes to world championships.
Also when Kohli became the main reason for Kumble’s resignation as the coach of the team, it infuriated me. Apparently, the team had issues with the level of discipline that Kumble expected everyone to follow. And then the interview with Karan Johar where we saw a distasteful side of the young generation. It’s not fair to generalize that mindset on everyone so let’s just keep it with the players who faced the heat as a repercussion of the interview. My point is that they had the audacity to say anything they felt like without being responsible for the people who follow them as players. Then during the ODI world cup 2019, there were reports of a player sharing the hotel room with his spouse. It was a rule that during major tournaments, players would stay only with themselves, not family. I don’t know the reason for this rule but a rule is a rule. These days cricket is being played throughout the year, hence the players need to take breaks from some series to let their body do the healing. Else a small injury could turn out to be something grave. But this has to be decided by the support team. I don’t think it’s up to a player to decide when and where he wants to play or not.
I just highlighted a few concerns. I am repeating myself for the 1000th time that we have a good team now and our bench strength is getting stronger. Every institution has good procedures to follow. If its not followed then the journey to the zenith ends up in the nadir. This is where Dada has walked in. Once again, he has been handed the reins of not only the team but the future of India’s cricket. He has rescued the game way back when he took the captaincy and I am certain that he will sort out issues to ensure that India rules the game of cricket for a long time.
In Dada we trust!
WithAnEagle 