* Ganguly has a supporter

With the five wise men who make up the National selection committee set to meet on September 6 to name the captain for the South African tour, Sourav Ganguly has won the vote of a man whose cricketing wisdom has been acknowledged by one and all. Ravi Shastri, the man many observers thought would have made one of India's finest captains, feels Ganguly needs to be retained for the arduous tour.

"There has been a great deal of talk about the captaincy, at times justified, but not clearly answered. What everybody is agreed upon is that South Africa will be a tough tour and whoever is captain will have a rough ride

"Sourav Ganguly, at least as I have seen in the last few Tests, has shown the inclination to communicate with youngsters, which is so important in captaincy. He has also made the much-delayed, but right decision to bowl a lot more, which puts the balance of the side much better. There is also the aspect of continuity. Too many changes at the top do not help. With a full side playing under him, Ganguly might get the boost he requires. I would persist with him," Shastri wrote in his column in The Times of India. The former India all-rounder said that the youngsters who replaced the injured seniors also failed and it was time for the "battle-hardened" players to return.

"Some of the youngsters who were chosen for these tours have been major letdowns. They had a grand opportunity — three Tests in Sri Lanka without four seniors — which may not happen again for a long, long time. Sadly, this opportunity was squandered, and I'm afraid they will have to go back to domestic cricket and serve some more time there before they are reconsidered.

"There is room to groom only two players, not more (sic.) a wicket- keeper and an opener. The others should be the tried and tested, but with the provision that they have to deliver the goods."

* Lessons from the master

Shiv Sunder Das is a very keen young man - keen to improve his batting and take his place amongst the best. So there was no way that he would pass the opportunity of receiving batting tips from South African legend Barry Richards.

Richards, whom the 'Don' named as one of the openers in his Dream XI, was a TV commentator during India's recent tour of Sri Lanka. And, that was where Das approached him.

"Since I am short, Barry sir felt I should stand a step further to play the ball a little earlier. I can't meet the ball before it swings while standing in the crease - that's why I was truly uncomfortable with the early movement of Chaminda Vaas' deliveries in the Kandy Test," Das said while explaining what the master told him. "I should not allow the ball to move in the direction the bowler wants." Richards also told Das to drop his right shoulder slightly and stand facing the bowler a bit more.

The little man from Orissa has impressed in the course of his short Test career. We hope that advice from Richards, which the young man is sure to take to heart, will help him achieve greater success by the time India take on South Africa. Here then is to hope and great openings.

* Do cut-down on India's international schedule: Chauhan

Former India opener and long-time partner of Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan feels that the hectic schedule drawn up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is responsible for the long injury-list that we have at present.

"If the board does not pay urgent attention to the issue, the injury list would get longer which would further push the team down in the international matches," Chauhan told Press Trust of India in New Delhi on Tuesday.

To prove his point he said how Tendulkar, despite maintaining high-level of fitness over the years, was forced to miss the Sri Lankan tour because of an injured right toe.

"We missed Sachin's blazing willow during the just concluded Sri Lanka series. His presence could have made a sea of a difference to India's fortunes.

"It is high time the board thought seriously about lengthening the gap between two series and I believe this would definitely fetch better results," Chauhan said.

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