PTI
 
Lahore, Jan 7: Barely a day after setting foot in Pakistan, the Indian team was mired in a controversy with team manager Rajsingh Dungarpur claiming that ex-coach John Wright was frustated with the ways of Sourav Ganguly but could not get the Kolkatan removed as skipper.

Dungarpur said that Wright "expressed his frustrations several times" to him about Ganguly but he was too "mild" to succeed in getting Ganguly out.   

"Wright was a little mild. He always had huge problems with Sourav," Dungarpur told television reporters here.

"Sourav is not a student of the game. He is also not a role model of a captain.

"A captain cannot be the laziest and possibly the worst fielder of the side.

"So he (Wright) expressed his frustrations several times to me. But what could he do?

"He could not get the captain changed."

These comments from the team manager came a day before Ganguly and three other players were to join the team in Pakistan.

Ganguly, along with Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble and Parthiv Patel, had stayed back in India to play a domestic match.

India open their campaign with a three-day warm up game against Pakistan A here.

Ganguly’s presence can prove destructive
 
By Moin Khan  - Courtesy PTI
 
India's coach Greg Chappell has made it difficult for his Pakistani counterpart Bob Woolmer to chalk out game plans against his team because every Indian batsman today is capable of batting at any number. It would be interesting to see how Woolmer counters that ploy during the India-Pakistan series.

The other point of interest would be to see is if Chappell and Rahul Dravid are brave enough to throw their batting order surprises against Pakistan. It can become very tricky and can also backfire, needless to say people have short memories in these parts of the worlds and past achievements can easily go down the drain by just one mistake.

As I see things, it becomes extremely difficult for any captain to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni coming out with Virender Sehwag to open the innings instead of the more conventional pair of Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir with Irfan Pathan following at one-down instead of Rahul Dravid.

So you first need to assess and visualise what the opponent is capable of and how he can surprise. And then be prepared with plans and contingency plans.

Woolmer might be under pressure because of it being a home series but Chappell will have a mountain on his shoulders because of the Sourav Ganguly factor. The feud involving the two men resulted in Ganguly's sacking and then his controversial ouster after the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Ganguly is the only Indian captain to win a series in Pakistan. Now Ganguly's presence in the dressing room can be destructive and might disintegrate the team if he is not treated with importance and not given the respect that he, by all means, deserves.

Naturally, every player should be selected based on their current form and that makes it even more interesting to watch how the Indian team management handles the situation if it decides to prefer Wasim Jaffer or Yuvraj Singh over Ganguly.

Chappell's role again becomes important. But trust me, this Ganguly factor is extremely sensitive and crucial!

Chappell and Woolmer are personalities with contrasting backgrounds and huge reputations. Most of the cricketers of my generation were still toddlers when both of them hung up their boots. But Chappell remains the one who is still admired, respected and followed because of his heroics with Australia.

Woolmer, we respect, because of his ability to do something different and to transform a struggling multi-talented team into a winning unit, be it Pakistan or South Africa or Warwickshire.

I have the highest respect and regard for Javed Miandad, but the same team was struggling under him. I believe, all the great cricketers somehow find and will continue to find it difficult when they step into the coach’s shoes and we have the examples of Kapil Dev, Sir Viv Richards and Miandad to illustrate it.

Chappell also had his share of problems very early in his tenure in India with his infamous feud with Ganguly. But you don't find any more of these disputes with Pakistan. These problems between the players and coaches are basically clashes of personalities and egos. Legends of the past want to do things their way while the present day masters have different ideas, approaches and perceptions towards the game.

The role of the coaches, as far as I am concerned, is to organise and coordinate quality training camps, individually discuss problems with the players, chalk out match plans and strategies, and leave the rest to the captain.

Unfortunately, legends of the past, in their capacities as coaches, go overboard and get involved into team selections and then making it an ego issue if over-ruled by the captain. The lesson we learn is simple - both the parties need to increase their tolerance and patience level, and accommodate each other as much as possible. To achieve the desired results in every series, particularly in the mother of all series’, this is the key.  

(The writer is a former Pakistan skipper - Editor)