Excerpts from an interview with Sourav Ganguly Would it embarrass you if we called you the spirit and the driving force behind the new India?
[Laughs] Obviously, being the captain, I have a lot of work to do with the team, but I think the important thing over the last two years has been to identify the right kind of boys who have the ability to play both forms of the game. And whatever success the team has achieved over the last 11 or 12 months is a mixture of everything. The year before, we had a tough time trying to get the team right. But I think we have got the combination right now, give or take one or two slots. The key for me was identifying these guys and persisting with them, getting them used to the atmosphere of international cricket.

Man by man, perhaps there have been better Indian teams, but this team, at least to the outsider, stands out for being a team united, more than anything else. You seem to have been a rallying point, for the youngsters especially.
Of course, as the captain I have had a role to play but I don't want to be immodest about it. It's a tough job, captaining India, but when you see things turning around, when the boys you have backed respond to you, you feel it's been worth all the trouble. And the effort hasn't been mine alone. John [Wright] has worked very hard too, he is a vital cog in the wheel. And Andrew [Leipus] and Adrian [Le Roux], they have been terrific. This is the fittest Indian side I have seen.

We have perhaps not seen so many young guys coming up together since the 1996 tour of England when you and Rahul Dravid made debuts and Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad made an impact. But this team seems to have something extra.
I would say it's the dressing room. It's a very happy dressing room we have got. It's much better than what we have had in the past. And you have to give the senior guys a lot of credit. Sachin [Tendulkar], Rahul, Anil [Kumble], Srinath, they have always been there with guidance and advice and there's a great sense of belonging in this team. Players are genuinely happy about each other's success. And the most important thing is that all the young guys know in their hearts that they will be taken care of. There is a feeling in this team that there will be no injustice done to any cricketer. This goes a long way in building confidence and making these boys give their best in tough conditions.

Would you say that factionalism, which has been the bane of Indian cricket for ages, is now a thing of the past? That this team doesn't think along regional and language lines?
I would say yes confidently. And I think the selectors deserve a lot of credit for that. They have had a very healthy approach to selecting the national team, and that has helped create a healthy atmosphere in the dressing room. Everyone knows that each member of the side has been picked on merit. I have always tried to get the best players to play for the country irrespective of their regions and the selectors have supported me all the way.

Apart from ability, there's a combativeness to this team that we haven't seen too often in the past.
That's because these guys are fearless. They know that whatever happens, they will get a fair deal, they will get a run in the side before their careers are decided. I have always believed that once you pick a guy you have to make sure he gets enough opportunities to prove his worth. Very few players come in and score a hundred or take five wickets on their debut. I have seen a lot of talent getting washed away over the past six or seven years because of a lack of backing.

So what does it take to win your confidence?
Of course, you have to be a good player, that goes without saying. But what matters even more is how well you play for the team. For me, a 40 in a crunch situation is much more valuable than a 150 in a dead match. It's very clear in the dressing room that if someone fails in four consecutive Test innings while trying to further a team cause, sacrificing his wicket in trying to score quick runs for the team, I will go a long way to back him and make sure that he gets enough opportunities. People don't remember who scored a hundred in which game; people only remember which game India won and which game India lost.

Does this determination to give every young player a fair trial have something to do with how you were treated early on?
Yes. I was written off even before I had played a Test match. I had to wait for four years to come back and then I scored a century on debut. I had been adjudged not good enough even before I was given a chance to prove myself. I would never want any young cricketer to be treated as badly as I was. Whether I am captain, or just a senior player, or I have finished playing, I will do what I can to make sure that nobody is so unfairly judged.

For the full interview, get your copy of Wisden Asia Cricket, December 2002

Sambit Bal is editor, Wisden Asia Cricket and Wisden.com in India

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