Rahul Dravid: New Indian Captain

Rahul Dravid was handed back the captaincy of the Indian cricket team for the forthcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka and South Africa, a decision which casts a deep shadow on Sourav Ganguly`s long reign in the hot seat.

With a question mark hanging on the fitness of Ganguly, the national selectors predictably elevated 32-year-old Dravid to the captain’s position barely one and half months after he led the team for his first full series in Sri Lanka.

Cricket board secretary S K Nair, after an hour’s meeting of the National Selection Committee here, said the committee’s decision to appoint Dravid as captain was unanimous and had nothing to do with the injury to Ganguly.

"It has nothing to do with Ganguly. He will be considered as a player depending on the fitness report which will be submitted by the physio John Gloster on October 17," Nair said after the meeting.

Asked if the decision to appoint Dravid as captain meant the selectors desired a change, Nair said, "Obviously, when it is a different name, it means a change".

The one-day series against Sri Lanka begins on October 25 and consists of seven one-dayers while the five-match series against South Africa commences on November 16.

The captain’s post has almost become a musical chair of late as Dravid was given the reins of the team for the tri-series in Sri Lanka in July only to be removed to accommodate Ganguly for the tour of Zimbabwe.

But this time around, the selectors have given the star Karnataka batsman a longer tenure of two full one-day series to prove his leadership qualities, a decision which is bound to fuel speculation on Ganguly`s immediate future, particularly after his injury worries and his stand-off with coach Greg Chappell.

Ganguly, whose public spat with Chappell made headlines recently, made the task easier for the selectors as he has been ruled out of competitive cricket till October 18 because of an injury which has been diagnosed as a "mild tennis elbow symptom".

Ganguly’s injury would be reassessed in Mumbai after the 10-day period but even if the doctors give him the go-ahead, the left-hander would have to prove his fitness in a domestic game before playing in an international match as per cricket board’s directive and stress on "form and fitness".

Sourav Ganguly, who was removed from the Indian squad for the forthcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka and South Africa, today remained quiet even as a lull descended on his residence in the southern outskirt of the city.

Ganguly, who did some fitness exercises at a ground near his house in the afternoon before the Indian selectors gave him the marching orders, stayed put in his residence since evening.

As the large posse of media persons gathered Ganguly's residence to get his reaction, an attendant came out and told the journalists "he will not speak to you today".

Even as the scribes persisted in their wait, the attendant reportedly told them to leave the place.

"He (Ganguly) has told me to inform you that he has nothing to tell the press," he added.

Amidst the puja revelry in the city, Ganguly's residence wore a forlorn look with the staff seeming to be speaking in a hushed voice.

None of the other members of the family were willing to speak.