The Indian Board's power base has shifted to Mumbai. And the Mumbai boy Wasim Jaffer made a wild card entry. Sourav Ganguly had been made a victim of BCCI politics. The talented left-hander's removal from Test squad was 'motivated' and 'guided by reasons other than cricket'. It won't be an exaggeration to say that this decision is unfortunate and irrational.

Ganguly paved the way for an Indian win in the Delhi Test by batting responsibly and forging good partnerships in both innings - with Tendulkar in the 1st innings and with Yuvraj in the 2nd innings.When Ganguly was kept out of the one-day squad, some people put forth the argument that a winning combination shouldn't be disturbed. Then how come Ganguly has been axed only hours after India won the Test? Experts say performance has not been the criterion for his removal. There is something other than cricket behind this decision. It defies logic. And there is more to it than meets the eye.The Prince of Kolkata has scored 5,150 runs at an average of 40.87 and led India to 21 Test victories in five years as captain.

On Tuesday, India's coach Greg Chappell has hailed former skipper Sourav Ganguly's role in the team. "Like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav has a role to play as mentor in the team," he said. Chappell also expressed satisfaction with Ganguly's form in the Test series against Sri Lanka. He said: "I am happy with his form and some good scores will bring back his confidence."
'I am Chappell, Greg Chappell and I have the license to call the shots in Indian cricket'. This silent message has brutally killed so many in Indian cricket - Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, three former national selectors and so on. Yes, on what grounds has Zaheer not been picked up after his powerhouse performances.

Sourav Ganguly's innings of 40 and 39 in the second Test against the islanders fail to convince the selectors. With Pawar phobia in heart and dirty politics in mind, the wise men picked Wasim Jaffer in the squad for the third Test against Sri Lanka in Ahemedabad. In Tests, Sourav Ganguly - who supposedly can't move his feet and hence, is vulnerable to swinging or seaming deliveries - averages 40.87 with 5,150 runs and 12 centuries. In one-dayers, even his harshest critics have to accept that with 10,123 runs, an average of 40.65 and 22 centuries, he has been one of the best in the last decade.Ganguly is the most successful Indian captain in both forms of the game, by quite a margin. There were the series wins against Pakistan and Australia, successes in important one-day tournaments like the world cup and the Champions' Trophy, and the scintillating drawn series in Australia.Cricket is one game where the captain plays a very special role. Without an able captain, a team rarely performs. Ganguly is one captain who handled his role with a natural flair. He helped the boys to become men, ask Yuvraj, Kaif, Dhoni and so on.

Sourav has been a great servant of Indian cricket and his contributions to the team in the last five years cannot be denied. Everyone will have to see Sourav's career in 360 degrees before any judgement is passed. In Pawar era, Mumbai will get precedence over India. Greg Chappell is very much in the loop as far as Board politics is concerned. The selection committee has also decided to take his word, also by giving him a long rope and continuing with his bunch of players.

May God give the board the virtue and retain him for the next series.

comparing 2 greats

2,2,2,39,19,11,2,67,93,9,123,6,2,4,47,19,16,74,18,78,82,11,18,37.
31,2,19,20,5,26,51,18,4,9,0,22,55,22,0,48,0,90,90,7,24,25,79,39,60.

The total of the first row is 673. The total of the second row is 746. Surprise, surprise. The first one is the total of last 25 ODI innings of the Indian great Sachin.The second one is of Mr. Bong (Sourav Ganguly, according to a famous ex-Indian cricketer). Lets go through some other figures...

16,41,52,52,94,36,32,20,3,55,248,5,2,8,1,8,2,194.
16,101,2,1,12,12,21,88,71,40,57,9,5,45,77,73,144.

The total of the first(sachin's last 18 test innings) - 869 and that of second (Ganguly's) - 774. The stats include Sachin's 248 against "Giants" Bangladesh and Ganguly's 101 against novices Zimbabwe. If we take these two innings out then we have 621 and 673 respectively. The first one is Sachin's score,the second one of the worthless Bong. If performance and not star system is going to be the key for inclusion in the Indian team, well then figures don't lie and they say it all. Note that, I am not saying Ganguly is a better player than Sachin but both are almost at the same level if their latest performances are to be considered. So when some Ganguly haters start barking that Ganguly hasn't been performing of late, the facts say, so hasn't Sachin. Shouldn't be the parameters for selection to the Indian team be the same for all the players or when Sachin's turn comes past performances and huge experience are the criteria.Then we should start calling back Gavaskar,Shastri and the likes. Of late whenever India needed Sachin to perform under pressure he almost always failed.The latest being the ongoing series against SA. And proving himself in domestic cricket,when has Sachin last played in domestic cricket? Ganguly has to score runs in domestic cricket to prove that he is in form after recovering from injury but Sachin is included in the team automatically after a long absence due to tennis elbow. Again double standards and again no one asks questions. So all you true cricket lovers think twice before you say something, as figures will always tell the truth. And in the end of it all, Ganguly may not find a place in he Indian national team for the second test against Sri Lanka.

So just let your friends know about the facts and statistics, and ask them to be rational while criticising Ganguly. He is not the worst ever Indian cricketer as he is made out to be by his critics and that eternal joker Bishen Bedi.