Ganguly's gang are reviving the interest of the Indian cricket fans in great style. A convincing victory against the World champions followed by another against the South Africans at the Nairobi Gymkhana has given the much required fillip for the team and as well as the cricket loving public.

The ICC Trophy could not have come at a better time as every governing body is in the process of weeding out the unruly elements, as it were, from the game. If the banning of Hansie Cronje has been welcomed across the world, the performance of the Indian team has been received with elation.

Ganguly played with great poise and responsibility as he remained unbeaten at the end of 50 overs against the Proteas. This should go down as the most satisfying innings he has played for the country so far. The first four batsmen literally batted out the opposition as they notched up an impossible total for the South Africans to overhaul. The loss of wickets at the end of the innings was as inconsequential as the catches dropped by Ganguly in the latter stages of the match.

What has been the strength of the South Africans all along proved to be their weakness as the batting all-rounders were mauled by the Indians. The left arm spinner Nicky Boje would like to forget the match in a jiffy as he was plundered for runs with the minimum of effort. Dravid, who has had a very ordinary string of scores in the one dayers in recent times, chose the right occasion to get his act together. His contribution was crucial and his partnership with the Indian skipper ensured that the Proteas had their backs to the wall for a major portion of the Indian innings.

The latest sensation, Yuvraj Singh then launched an assault from the base provided by the Ganguly-Dravid partnership. The huge total of 295 was really out of bounds for the South Africans when one considers their poor record while chasing. They needed a flier of a start but the Indians struck early on and carried on to control the game in admirable fashion.

The trainee from the MRF Pace Foundation, Zaheer Khan, once again provided the early breakthrough and reaffirmed that he belongs to the big league. Ganguly effected changes regularly and the boys responded well. The main strike bowler Anil Kumble was as mean as ever and to make matters worse for the South Africans, he chiselled away at the wickets. Ganguly himself scalped the important wicket of Boucher who was caught brilliantly by Tendulkar. If Tendulkar's catch was brilliant, Prasad took a catch in the deep which was out of his world. The fielding of the present Indian side is really heartening and this aspect has made all the difference.

In the ultimate analysis, the Indians have proved that they have it in themselves to win the tournament. The usual business of preferring experience to youth should be reconsidered as the youngsters have excelled in the limited opportunities they have been given. The outstanding performance of Ganguly's gang has really set the cat among the pigeons as a lot of decisions are impending. For instance, the decision regarding a foreign coach has to taken shortly and it will be interesting to see what happens if the Indians go on to win the championship.

© Woorkheri Raman