Last and final chance, BCCI must take the gamble NOW!

It would be too far fetched if we expect the BCCI to think of what is really good for Indian cricket. No, BCCI is not Cricket Australia who can think out of the box and go to any level to make sure that its team ends up on the winning side each and every time.

To say BCCI is only interested to fill its coffers would be an understatement. Actually, a much-divided body across regional and political lines, the main concern of the BCCI honchos is how to win the next board elections.

I was reading Arnab (Great Bong) Ray’s article Just Sourav and could not help but agree with him completely. In fact, my support for Saurav now is based on the same reasons Arnab cited for his. During my student days when Saurav was blazing centuries after centuries in ODIs averaging over 45, I supported Sachin Tendulkar despite the fact that it meant high-decibel fights with my father who is a blind Saurav supporter. I still am a great, great fan of Tendulkar despite the fact he is a Marathi and would still support him over Saurav whose main destroyers had been Marathis.

I will not mince words here today. I have now started believing that the Marathis are the worst culprits in dividing the cricketing nation on regional lines followed by non-Bengali Sachin supporters. They simply could not digest the fact that their beloved son – the great Tendulkar proved to be a miserable failure when it came to leading the team. Five consecutive Test drubbings – three in Oz and two on home turf (that incidentally was India’s first series loss on home ground since Pak beat them in 1986-87) meant that he was a meek guy whom the team did not have any fear of, his batting capabilities notwithstanding.

Under the shadow of the match fixing scam, the relatively inexperienced Saurav Ganguly made a great turnaround in Team India’s fortunes. We all know his contribution to the resurgence of the Indian team. The Ganguly-baiters just could not digest his success. By then Sachin’s future as captain had evaporated and the baiter needed another guy to fight Ganguly with. Rahul Dravid, whom Ganguly gave a second life by making him the wicket keeper of the ODI side, was the perfect boy for them to do the trick. Rahul Dravid, despite his role as batsman-keeper for over a hundred matches was still cribbing about being the wicket keeper. Ganguly would have none of it; and didn’t Rahul flourish during that time?

Unfortunately, for Ganguly, two Marathis took office in the BCCI who could spell his doom. The chairman of the selection committee Kiran More was the first to make the move. Though one might argue that Ganguly lost his place during the Dalmiya reign, it was not supposed to be a permanent removal. Then the Dalmiya faction lost the elections and another Marathi – the spineless Sharad Pawar became the president. Ganguly’s fate was sealed. He simply won’t give up his Aussie-worshipping rituals even though the Aussie in question is a saboteur.

Then the blogosphere was suddenly abuzz with pro and anti Ganguly articles, analysis and rants. That was the time when I lost all respects for another Marathi because of first his pedestrian analysis, and then when his regionalist mask fell off, which left me with no other alternative but to react in my own way.

Ten matches to go before India plays in the ICC World Cup 2007 and what are we seeing now? Team India, led by a pliant and meek puppet captain and run by a saboteur, is viciously trapped in the quagmire of defeatism.

The only mantra to get it out of this load of total mental wreck is to bring back Saurav Ganguly in, kick the saboteur out and instead appoint a manager. We don’t need a coach now, it is already too late in the day for that. Ganguly in the recent Ranji match has shown what a helluva good captain he is. Give him the control again and trust me, he will spank the despondent team back to what they were under him – a bunch of fighters.

Precious little time remains, the BCCI must take the gamble. Not to stoke some Bengali or commie ego, but for the good of Team India.