Ganguly would do well to follow the great Nawab

It is comparison time again, and, by popular demand, I take up an evaluation of Sourav Ganguly's performance as Indian captain, measured against the standards set by my old Hyderabad seniors. One is ML Jaisimha, arguably the most cerebral captain not to have led India. The other is MAK Pataudi, most charismatic of India's captains, whose admirers outnumbered his detractors in the long run, but not before he was administered a no-confidence vote by the chairman of selectors. To his credit, the former Nawab came back in style and nearly toppled the mighty West Indies from their perch of superpower-dom.

Some basic differences are obvious. Jaisimha was celebrated as a brilliant strategist and cricket guru, but he never experienced the pressure of leading India in Tests. Pataudi became captain under exceptional circumstances at the age of 21 and was spared being put under the microscope for quite a while, his youth and pedigree both shielding him from excessive criticism.

Equally important, by his own admission, he received much caring support from the senior cricketers he led. Besides, until he forged a match-winning spin combination and gradually instilled enough selfbelief in his players for them to enter the arena with confidence, India was not expected to win anyway. True, the process had begun under Nari Contractor's leadership, especially in the morale-boosting victories over Ted Dexter's England, but Pataudi it was who taught the Indians to enjoy their cricket without overlooking the need to possess the competitive edge.

It is open to speculation whether `Tiger' Pataudi learnt some of the tricks of his trade from Jaisimha, his close friend and Ranji Trophy teammate. Similarities in approach were obvious, especially in their use of spinners in an attacking mode with the close-in fielding cordon that they perfected. Where they differed was in their attitude to medium-pace bowlers. While Jaisimha was a strong advocate of the role of seam bowlers in slowing down the game as a defensive ploy, and sometimes as wicket-takers as well, Pataudi was impatient with India's crop of new-ball bowlers, often bringing the spinners on in the first few minutes of a Test match.

Tactically speaking, the Prince of Kolkata has quite some way to go before he can be mentioned in the same breath as the two nawabs of Hyderabad cricket, but that would not be entirely fair to him at this stage of his career. If you consider Pataudi's early record as captain in win-loss terms, it was nothing much to write home about, for all the good his inspirational style did for team morale. It was in raising fielding standards to acceptable levels in the outfield and close to the bat that he made a huge contribution. He also led the side from the front, with his courageous batsmanship against fast bowling.

Ganguly has achieved some notoriety by sticking his neck out while demanding the inclusion of some players. It is a reflection of the media glare of our times that every armchair selector in the country knows the captain's preferences. In Tiger's days, the intrusion was not so all-pervasive, and the captain got his way most of the time. Rarely did anyone complain that India did not field her best eleven under his stewardship. Nor was his own place ever under siege due to poor form, even during his final hurrah against Clive Lloyd's men.

Tiger Pataudi once told a TV interviewer that, though he always kept his emotions under check on the field of play, he saw merit in the greater spontaneity of today's cricketers. The consequences of his recent on-field aggression suggest that poor Ganguly would be better off imitating the Pataudi model of decorum!