A leader is one who knows the way, shows the way and goes the way.Sachin Tendulkar’s decline of the test captaincy has not come as a surprise. In the first place, it should not have been offered to him at all! However great he might be, as a player, the Board had no business to offer it to him,  for his exclusive consideration. All contenders (Ganguly/Dhoni) are not being treated equally and is it fair that some one should be given something, only on   the other person rejecting it? Does it mean that the other person has priority or preferential right over the issue?

Sachin’s two earlier stints as captain was nothing great to boast about. It only went on to show that all actors need not be good directors.

There is another angle to it also. Rahul Dravid stepped down from the responsibility saying that he would like to concentrate on his batting. Which comes first- your performance as a leader, even if it means that your batting suffers -or your own individual performances? Teams’ interest should supersede petty, individual goals. If despite his best intentions of wanting to contribute to the team by his batting, should Rahul fail, on what ground can he find his place in the team? On the contrary, if his own performance dips, but the team performs creditably, he would still be respected as a leader and people would want him to continue. This is a clear case of putting the self above the nation/team’s interest. If he had been pressurized by the Selection committee, then it is a different matter.

All these are side issues. The main issue is Rahul was appointed only because vested interests, with the blessings of Chappell & Co., managed to elbow out Ganguly, for no fault of his. In one sense, Rahul got it by default. So the moment Rahul wriggled out of the hot-seat, it should have gone to Ganguly, to whom it rightfully belongs.

Let us not forget that Ganguly has been the most successful India captain till date. His captaincy record is as follows:

Tests as captain                                  Won                                         Lost                  Drawn

49 (Highest number)                 21(Success % 42)                                13                    15

His leadership style is unique and he has another 4-5 years of cricket in him. I am reminded of a Tamil proverb which says “it is foolish to look for clarified butter, with butter in your hand”. Ganguly is selfless and always puts the teams’ interest ahead of his. He has no pronounced regional preferences. He is also good at spotting and nurturing talent. Above all, he is unconventional in his thinking. He is loyal towards his players, who in turn reciprocate the same way and this helps in building a nice camaraderie.

On the other hand, Sachin has been mostly playing for his own personal records and has never been an inspirational kind of person. He may have a great cricketing sense, but is not shrewd or tactical. Also by his own admission, this would be a retrograde step.

Continuing with Dhoni in all the forms of cricket is likely to be counter-productive. He is yet to develop his understanding of the 5-day format. He can be an understudy to Ganguly for the next 3-4 years, by which time; he would have matured enough, to handle the job once Ganguly decides to call it quits.

The list of great captains is endless.  Quite a few amongst them might not have fared very well on a personal basis, but nevertheless, took the team forward. Mike Brearely towers over others in this category. Our own Ajit Wadekar was somewhat like this. New zeland’s Geoff Howarth cannot be easily forgotten.

Let us hope that sanity prevails in the BCCI and in the long-term interest of the Indian cricket, they bring back Ganguly. If they do both, Ganguly and Team India will benefit. If not, the loss would surely not be Ganguly’s!