Ganguly throws down the gauntlet again

The defeat against Australia at Mumbai has brought Saurav Ganguly's honeymoon as captain to a rude end. For a man who accepts defeat with poor grace, it must have been particularly galling. Having used a mixture of bluster and bravado to belittle Australia's chances in the run-up to the series, Ganguly found all his pre-series posturing blown apart by a ruthlessly professional opponent.

When he was installed in the job, Ganguly offered the prospect of a bolder, more head-on approach than his two immediate predecessors Tendulkar and Azharuddin. On the field he exercises authority more overtly, likes to play the game hard, and shows an intense competitiveness. Off the field too he is more forthcoming in his dealings with the press and gives the impression of being comfortable with the job. Ganguly has enjoyed most of his success in the one-day format where the role of a captain is far less demanding. But it's not enough to be very good when things are going your way. The real test of a leader comes in adversity and Ganguly is yet to show the character to stand upto the hard times.

The start-stop-start charade he played out with Dravid in the second innings at Mumbai exposed the psyche of a man plagued by self-doubt. The pressure just got to him and Ganguly's slackening at the finish portrayed him as having already given up, not just on that run but the contest as a whole. In the Australian chase, Ganguly virtually gifted the 47 runs on a platter, putting little or no pressure on the two openers, and the visitors were quick to observe the negative body language over that brief span.

His bowling changes failed to produce dividends and a captain must be prepared to cop a barrage when that happens. After a lively spell on the first evening, Ajit Agarkar was kept cooling his heels in the outfield until an over before lunch on the second morning. A greater talking point was Ganguly's decision to replace Rahul Sanghvi with Sachin Tendulkar, obviously a set piece to target the lefthanders. Tendulkar was too erratic for that dogma to succeed and by taking off a frontline bowler with his tail up, Ganguly did little for Sanghvi's confidence. But as Steve Waugh remarks, a captain has to trust his instincts. "If Tendulkar had taken a wicket, the same move would have been hailed as a great piece of strategy" says Waugh with some justification.

Leading by personal example is an especially important component in Ganguly's captaincy since he is not particularly strong in his tactical understanding or as a man manager which are two other parameters by which a captain can be judged. His bat packs a wallop in the shorter version where he averages over 56 as captain. Over the last year however Ganguly's Test match form has plummeted on a steeply declining curve. Only two half centuries have accrued in his last 15 innings and those against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

His decision to lead the Board President's XI against the Australians at the Kotla on Tuesday in pursuit of match practice is thus heartening. Of course it's a double-edged sword but his very gesture shows that he is not going to shirk a challenge and throws the gauntlet firmly back at the Australians. "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you but make allowance for their doubting too..." so goes Kipling. Is that too big an ask, one wonders.