Pressure mounts on skipper Ganguly

Pressure mounted on Indian captain Saurav Ganguly's position after his poor form with the bat continued in the team's 10-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle on Friday.

Ganguly managed just 15 and four runs in the two innings of the Test which India lost on the morning of the fourth day after they scored only 187 and 180 in the absence of injured Sachin Tendulkar and Vangipurappu Laxman.

The 29-year-old's form in Test cricket has been lacklustre for almost six months now and experts say he may even be in danger of losing his place in the team once Tendulkar and Laxman return for India's South Africa tour in October.

He had managed only 106 runs at an average of 17.66 against Australia in India's 2-1 win earlier this year and scored just 14 in two Tests in Zimbabwe.

India's eighth straight loss in a one-day final last month, did not help Ganguly's case either.

"When a captain is not performing, it's very difficult for him to expect much from his team. The selectors have got to keep that in mind," said former Indian Test player Maninder Singh.

"Ganguly needs to give up captaincy and probably take some time off from the team as well," Singh, now a television commentator, told Reuters.

Ganguly has also landed in trouble for losing his temper on the field. He was suspended for one match last month when he showed dissent after being adjudged lbw in a one-day match against New Zealand.

He was fined 75 percent of his match fees for exchanging words with Sri Lanka's Russel Arnold in the same series.

"When you are not doing well, these frustrations sometimes creep in. He needs to relieve himself of the pressure and go back to the basics," Singh said.

BETTER CAPTAIN

Singh said vice-captain Rahul Dravid, who made his Test debut in the same Test as Ganguly against England at Lord's in 1996, would make a better captain.

"Dravid handles things better, he's performing well and he keeps his cool on the field," Singh said.

Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, a television commentator for the Sri Lanka tour, said: "Dravid is certainly a future captain. He is India's Rock of Gibraltar."

The 28-year-old Dravid, nicknamed "The Wall" due to his ability to stay on the crease for long hours, has led India to wins in both the one-day games he captained when Ganguly was serving one-match suspensions.

Experts said Ganguly could also lose his place in the team to a younger player like Mohammad Kaif, among India's top scorers with 37 and 14 in the Galle Test.

Kaif, 20, made his debut against South Africa last year, but lost his place in the team after Laxman chose to play down the order rather than open the innings.

Singh said Ganguly could save his captaincy only if he pulled off a repeat of India's resurgent 2-1 win over Australia earlier this year after they lost the first Test in three days.

Mail Cricket Editor