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Captain Courageous


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This article is not something new interms of content wise.. I liked it when i went through this.. hence tot of putting this.. apologies if u guys think its a redudant one.. The wait is for the leading-from-the-front boss, the charismatic, inspiring winner In 1983, when cricket wasn?t yet one of India Inc?s milch cows, it took a chunk of individual brilliance, driven by an appetite to succeed, that made the country sit up and take note. Kapil Dev?s extraordinary contribution as player and captain, both, marked him as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time and India?s climb up the cricketing ladder began. Prior to that famous Indian escapade, the West Indies had maintained a brutal reign over the world, their skipper Clive Lloyd?in absolute cricketing sense?being the Alexander of his generation. Post 1983, it was Allan Border in ?87, followed by Imran Khan in ?92, Arjuna Ranatunga in ?96, Steve Waugh in ?99 and Ricky Ponting in 2003 who were certain individuals destined for success. The one common trait they shared was that they were leaders of their respective teams. Also, they were as rare as they come, fittingly decorated with talent and the will to succeed at the highest level. The 2007 World Cup will once again have accomplished men leading their respective teams. One of these eight individuals will lift that esteemed Cup in time, but it is to be seen if he does it with that innate ability to inspire, by word and deed. ? CAN THE WALL BEAR THE BURDEN? TALK of India depending on Rahul Dravid to stay in the middle and score runs, the team can rely heavily on the right-hander for his sheer ability to stick to his task. But whether or not he has managed to retain the same amount of respect as captain is something that hasn?t been ascertained yet. Over the last two years, since Dravid took over the mantle from Sourav Ganguly, there have been serious ups and downs in his position as skipper. While he?s now destined to go down in history as one of the best batsmen to have played in the number three position, Dravid hasn?t quite claimed his share of honour as a captain yet. In his 62 outings to date as captain, Dravid has had a fairly decent record of 32 wins. However, Dravid?s captaincy on tours has still been found wanting. On tour to the West Indies and South Africa, last year, Dravid?s side lost miserably during the one-day series, recording merely one victory in 10 matches. Other than a victory against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, last year and another over West Indies in Kuala Lumpur, there?s not been much for Dravid to show. At home, though, India have managed to restore a lot of pride under Dravid?s stewardship. In 26 matches, his team has lost just seven while playing in India, which?unquestionably?remains the only bright spot in his captaincy to date. Does he have it in him to motivate a side much like the way Ganguly did? That is one question that?s been on Dravid?s trail ever since his promotion to the position. Ganguly can take home the credit of having taken over the Indian team when the match-fixing scandal broke and the team had been in a complete mess. He rummaged the talent that was available at that time and formed his own group of competent and inspired individuals, who believed in Ganguly and were ready to fight for him. For Dravid, this looks a distant or perhaps an unachievable dream yet. For reasons best known to the cynics, though, he will always be seen and judged in the same mirror as that of his predecessors. ? CAN PONTING STRETCH THE AUSSIE RUN? RICKY Ponting, on paper, is easily the most successful captain in both versions of the game, at least since the previous World Cup, in 2003. Stephen Fleming may be acknowledged the most acute one in terms of strategy and mind games or even Graeme Smith who?s been young enough to help his team top the charts this year. Mahela Jayawardene, for his part, is still in the process of finding his feet amidst a talented bunch? looking to reap in the rewards on the brilliance of a few outstanding individuals. For Ponting, though, a lot has come by way of sheer hard work that had been done during the time of Steve Waugh, more so with Shane Warne by his side. When Ponting took over as captain, in 2002, Australia were at the top in every sense of the game. Warne was still around and age hadn?t yet caught up with quite a few talents, like Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn?all match-winners in their own right. Martyn has hung up his boots, so has Warne. McGrath and Hayden, still a force to reckon with, are as close as they can get to being old for the one-day game. Gilchrist hasn?t quite been in the thick of things and Ponting himself has been struggling with a stiff, painful back. To worsen his situation further, the new attack of the likes of Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait and Shane Watson haven?t quite clicked for him yet. New Zealand demolishing Australia in the recently concluded series gives a serious insight into what Ponting can expect from his present squad. He won the 2003 World Cup, but it was still the time when the hangover of Waugh?s captaincy was around. In the West Indies, Ponting will have a lot more to prove than ever before. He?s already been caught napping in the job, once when Australia shockingly lost to Bangladesh and once again when they gave away the Ashes in 2005. ? SMITH AND JAYAWARDENE: RIDING ON TOO MUCH TALENT : They captain teams that ride on a heap of individual talents. For Jayawardene, the return of Sanath Jayasuriya, the presence of Kumara Sangakkara, the guile of Muttiah Muralitharan and the ever-dependable Chaminda Vaas raise options that can prove dangerous on any surface in the world. Similarly for Smith, the return to form of Shaun Pollock and the absolutely unpredictable Herschelle Gibbs form a dangerous combination along with the dependable choices available in Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher. Smith can count himself in the same bracket, but not yet in the Hansie Cronje-mould, whose captaincy had certainly been a revelation for South African cricket. Jayawardene too will have to be compared to his seniors, especially Arjuna Ranatunga who won Lanka their only World Cup. The 29-year-old hasn?t quite proved himself to be in the ranks of Captain Cool yet but given his enormous appetite for runs, that alone makes him the eligible one for the all-important post. Both South Africa and Sri Lanka could be among the favourites but neither because of Smith or Jayawardene?s leadership skills. They are batsmen in their own right and their respective career averages of 43 (Smith) and 47 (Mahela) is proof enough. ? INZAMAM, LARA AND FLEMING: ONCE AGAIN THE UNDERDOGS: Brian Lara has never been appreciated for his captaincy and Stephen Fleming has been appreciated for captaincy alone. That alone proves how diverse the two individuals are in their respective jobs. Lara has been the lone individual guiding the West Indies? sails for a decade now. Fleming, on the other hand, quietly went past Arjuna Ranatunga?s record of captaining the highest number of ODIs. The one thing common between the two, though, is that both the teams are underrated as far as the tournament goes - Kiwis coming after grounding Australia to dust at home and West Indies, after a satisfying last year, waiting to pounce on the visitors at home. Meanwhile, the sleeping giant?Inzamam-ul Haq? carries the burden of leading Pakistan like never before. Two players in the dock for doping, couple of seniors injured, too much bickering in the team management, the lack of communication between the team and coach Bob Woolmer. There are too many headaches for the 37-year-old to get rid of before he actually starts concentrating on the tournament.

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