Friday, February 8, 2002 Let me make my position clear at the very beginning. I have a thing against Sourav Ganguly, because I hold him personally responsible for the gross neglect of left-arm spin bowlers in India. Most countries today find a place for a left-arm spinner - England have Ashley Giles, South Africa have Nicky Boje and New Zealand have Daniel Vettori, even though none of them might be thought of as world-class.

In India, we have outstanding left-arm spinners in Sunil Joshi, Rahul Sanghvi and Murali Kartik, yet they are nowhere near the national team because the Indian captain, and I have this on authority, has no regard for left-arm spinners. This is detrimental enough to Indian cricket, and in my book, reason enough for Ganguly to be removed from the captaincy. But at the moment, there are even more compelling factors working against him.

First and foremost, Ganguly no longer merits a place in the Test side. Tennis, not cricket, is the game for non-playing captains. Ganguly has some serious technical shortcomings, which have been brutally exposed by international bowlers. It is clear that he has not been able to come to terms with his deficiencies and now even domestic bowlers have sorted him out. India cannot afford a non-performing captain.

And make no mistake, Ganguly is no Mike Brearley. Far from it. He is not even a thinking captain. Shows of aggression on the field do not make you a great leader. A leader needs a cool head. Ganguly often lets his emotions get the better of him and his behaviour sets a bad example for the youngsters in the team. He has been hauled up by match-referees several times already – a very poor reflection on his personal character.

Lastly, he is among the most unfit members of the side and Indian coach John Wright has been on record expressing dissatisfaction over Ganguly's reluctance to work hard enough on his fitness. Physical fitness is a major concern for the Indian side. If the captain is himself guilty of lethargy, the coach can do very little to get the other players in line. I have no right to say it myself because I was a very poor fielder, but in the modern context, no captain can hide on the field.

Life is dynamic - you either go up or down. When he started out, I thought Ganguly would make a reasonable captain. It's obvious that his captaincy has gone only one way - down. To make a relevant comparison – they are calling for Steve Waugh's head in Australia after one bad one-day series. Waugh has the character and resilience to bounce back; in my estimation, Ganguly's struggle is only likely to get worse.

India have a home series against Zimbabwe next and it will be a good idea to try out a new captain now. I wouldn't mind the job being given to Anil Kumble or Rahul Dravid, but the man for my money is Sachin Tendulkar.

I know people will point to Tendulkar's previous below-par stints as captain but it's unfair to judge him on those showings. He got three of the toughest tours – South Africa, West Indies and Australia – and often didn't get the team he wanted. I don't want to name any names here, but a few of Tendulkar's senior colleagues were not exactly cooperative either. He gave up the job disgusted and disillusioned.

Tendulkar is more mature now, and India have the nucleus of a good, young side. Not only is Tendulkar the best player in the side, he is also the only true professional in the team. His conduct is exemplary and so is his personal fitness regimen. He has immense cricket sense and people who question his tactical acumen should see him leading Mumbai, where he has the complete backing of the establishment and the support of his team-mates.

Bitter from his last experience of the job, Tendulkar might not want the captaincy yet, but for the sake of Indian cricket, he must be coaxed into it.

Bishan Bedi, who took 266 wickets for India in 67 Tests between 1966 and 1979 was talking to Sambit Bal.

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