Date:13/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/13/stories/2005081310022000.htm

Sport

Sourav Ganguly back at the helm

G. Viswanath

Mumbai: Sourav Ganguly was named captain of the Indian team for the one-month tour of Zimbabwe after a selection committee meeting here on Friday.

The Indian team will play a tri-series, in which the third team will be New Zealand, and two Tests against the host. There was strong opposition to a proposal to appoint the 33-year-old Ganguly as captain for six-months/one year.

It's understood that the selector from East Zone, Pronob Roy, mooted the long-term proposal arguing that this committee had not had the opportunity to name a captain for a year.

Roy's suggestion did not find favour with most of the selectors as they felt it would be unfair to do so when their term was nearing its end and that it would be most appropriate to leave it to the new selection committee that would be in place in the last week of September.

The selection committee meeting began after the Chairman of selectors, Kiran More, and the BCCI Secretary, S. Karunakaran Nair, had spoken to coach Greg Chappell.

It's reliably learnt that More was keen to get a first hand account of the team's performance in the Indian Oil Cup in Sri Lanka from Chappell. Authoritative sources revealed to The Hindu that Chappell had told More that he would not like to voice his opinion on the choice of captain.

Team selection today

The meeting started a little after 3 p.m. and ended around 4.45 p.m. "The selectors have named Sourav Ganguly for the series against Zimbabwe. The decision was arrived at by consensus. The committee deliberated on the performance of the Indian team in the Indian Oil Cup in Sri Lanka and that's why it took such a long time.

A 15-member team will be selected tomorrow. The BCCI will also have the physical fitness report of the players by then from physio John Gloster. The team will leave on August 22,'' said Mr. Nair.

When asked if there was a directive from the BCCI to the selectors that the selection of the captain be unanimous, Mr. Nair said: "The decision was arrived at by consensus.''

For five years Ganguly's appointment as captain had been a routine matter; the five selectors and the BCCI Secretary would have a round of tea, propose Ganguly's name, sign on the BCCI letterhead and dash to the airport to catch their flights.

Friday's meeting at the Taj Mahal was different. Four of the selectors — More, Roy, Yashpal Sharma and Gopal Sharma — favoured Ganguly, while South Zone representative V.B. Chandrasekhar backed Dravid.

Meanwhile, according to sources there could be new faces in the 15-member team for Zimbabwe to be picked on Saturday. There could be changes in the fast bowling line-up.