For Indian cricket lovers, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is not just another name! For them, it is an emotion. A different force altogether. The messiah of Indian cricket. The undoubted tiger of Indian cricket! This is what Sourav Ganguly is. Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket has been beyond numbers and words. It was solely due to Ganguly’s efforts that team India was back among the best after rising from the ashes.
A recent piece of news has galvanized Indian fans to a great extent. If primary reports are to be believed, then the names of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have emerged as the front runners for the post of the coach of the Indian national cricket team. The two of them have immensely toiled hard for the team’s sake and all their efforts have reaped rewards for the Indians.
A majority of the Indian fans though endorse Sourav Ganguly as the next Indian coach. Under Duncan Fletcher’s regime, the team did really well in the shorter formats. But in the tests, the performance of the Indians was agonizingly poor. The Indians got whitewashed in England and Australia. In the following test tours, they even lost in South Africa, New Zealand and once again in England and Australia. But, the poorest performance of the Indians came in the home test series against England. The visiting inexperienced English side went on to beat India in its own home.
There are a few very commanding reasons for which people want Sourav Ganguly as the man in charge of Indian cricket. The most significant reason has been that the performance of the Indians in overseas tests has been dismal. Winning a test match away from home is considered to be among the most difficult things. The individuals need to be physically as well as mentally fit, in order to bring glory for the nation. Being ahead in the game for five days in alien conditions requires a lot of positivity and self belief. Probably this is the department where the Indians have struggled miserably off late.
The Indian cricketers simply lack the will power which is needed to win test matches in foreign conditions. Talented Indian players look exhausted way too quickly and a grim face of the skipper is now a familiar sight for viewers. The bowling totally lacks the steam which is needed to take 20 opposition wickets. As compared to the bowlers of other teams, the Indian test bowlers look like mere amateurs. Their batsmen too play some mind numbing shots and flirt with the ball outside the off stump. These technical weaknesses were hardly rectified during the establishment of Duncan Fletcher and co.
In Sourav Ganguly, the Indian test team will have an ideal candidate who can easily cure these blunders. Ganguly was a very successful test skipper and batsmen. The Price of Calcutta achieved glory in England and Australia and led with a broad chest. Ganguly can mentor the likes of skipper Kohli and others with precision. Ganguly’s technical awareness of the game is what makes him an asset worth having. He can pass on his knowledge about batting efficiently to youngsters like Pujara, Rahane and Vijay. There is no hindrance in mind when the talent about the present Indian team is being discussed. But there surely is the scope for further improvement. Under Fletcher, these players did well, but they could never achieve what they truly deserved. Sourav Ganguly though, can surely enhance their skills and ensure that they bat with a lot more precision.
The mindset of a team is often decided within the dressing room itself. Other than working on the technical aspects of the cricketers, the psychological aspect too is a necessary factor. Who better than Sourav Ganguly to work on that? Ganguly led by example and had the heart of a lion. When he roared on the field, the opponents were reduced to smithereens. He gave the English and the Australians a run for their monies in their own den. His sledging of Alec Stewart in England shall never be forgotten. The former India captain can motivate the Indian side to a great extent and can stimulate them to take steps, which will lead to triumph.
Under Sourav Ganguly, the boys will have a clear sense of direction and purpose. His words will surely do the side a world of good. Coaching revolves around motivating the team by your words and transforming the potential and ability into the desired results. There is no better person than Sourav Ganguly to fulfill this criterion. India’s current test captain Virat Kohli, like Ganguly is naturally aggressive. Kohli often says that is the dose of aggression which gets him going and he loves to thrive in pressure situations. But the problem with Kohli is that at times he tends to get over aggressive which may be lethal for the team. With Ganguly in the dressing room, Kohli’s aggression will be perfectly utilized as Ganguly himself can guide the run machine of toning down the aggression to an optimum level.
It is a no-brainer that Ganguly is the ideal man to coach team India. Nonetheless, only time will dictate about his developments as the coach. If he happens to become the coach of the team, then it will be the best possible news for the Indians, that’s for sure!
Also Read: The reasons why Rahul Dravid could be a good choice for team India coach.