Chairman of the national cricket selection committee, Chandu Borde said yesterday that India skipper Sourav Ganguly asked for a one-year term as captain at the last selection committee meeting.
Borde said this while reacting to a recent newspaper report that Ganguly was disappointed at not being given a longer rein. According to Borde, Ganguly brought up his plea after last Monday's selection meeting in Mumbai to pick the team for the one-day triangular series in Sri Lanka.
Hot Topic: Should Sourav Ganguly be given a one-year term as Indian captain? Post your views here
"After the meeting Sourav said, "in the past others (captains) have been selected for a year. Why not me?" Borde said. The chairman could only remind Ganguly of the policy of the powers that be. "I told him that our policy is to pick the captain for a series only. He did not say anything in response."
Meanwhile, a selector, on condition of anonymity, said Ganguly deserves a longer term. "Look, he has not lost a Test series as captain and that's quite an achievement. Don't forget, we have beaten the best team in the world (Australia at home)," said the selector. "However, I don't agree to the one-year tenure. It's too long a period but I think Ganguly should be told that he is captain till the home series against England in November. Also, he should carry that security with him for the all-important tour of South Africa in September."
Naren Tamhane, the former India wicketkeeper, who was chairman of selectors in the early 1990s, felt that Ganguly did not deserve to be given a series-to-series tenure. "He should be given a longer run. Clearly, he is not feeling secure as a captain should be. Of course, to give him too long a rein like a year will be fraught with danger. Anything can happen. Ideally, he should be given two series at a time," said Tamhane.
Anil Deshpande, who finished his term as selector last year, also felt that Ganguly should have been named skipper till the South Africa tour. "But I don't think he could have been made skipper for a year," said Deshpande, who was part of the selection panel which picked Ganguly as skipper last year.
Mohammed Azharuddin remains the only captain in Indian cricket history to be given a one-year term - in 1995-96.
