The question lingers: Is Sourav’s career over?

CHANDIGARH: The selectors ended all speculation on Thursday by appointing Rahul Dravid captain for the ODI series against Sri Lanka and South Africa. That the batsman will lead in 12 one-dayers against two countries suggests that the selectors see him in that position for the long term and are willing to give him time to settle into Sourav Ganguly’s shoes.

Given the extraordinary situation in Indian cricket, the meeting was short (about 40 minutes) and the vote in favour of Dravid, emphatic. “Ganguly’s injury was not even discussed,” said SK Nair, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and convener of the meeting. “Dravid was everyone’s choice.” The appointment came around midnight Sydney time, where Dravid is playing the Super Test which begins on Friday.

Though one selector apparently made an issue of Dravid’s appointment for two series instead of one, as has been the convention, he was overruled. BCCI sources indicated that Dravid, who has been captain off and on for nearly two years, had expressed his unhappiness with the board’s flip-flop approach.

The beleaguered Ganguly’s tenure was always in doubt, considering his injury, and that he had skipped the Challenger series. Chairman of selectors Kiran More had told DNA that only players “fit and in form” would be considered. Ganguly, out of action for 10 days, did not meet the first criterion.

But Nair's statement that neither of these issues was crucial in choosing the captain reveals that Ganguly's days were numbered for other reasons.

The mercurial left-hander was appointed captain in February 2000 in the wake of the match-fixing controversy. He became India's most successful captain, leading the country to a 2-1 victory over Australia in 2001, to the 2003 World Cup final, a 1-1 drawn series against world champions Australia in 2003-2004, and a historic series victory over Pakistan in Pakistan in 2004.

But since then, his career has been beset by controversies, and 2005 has been particularly turbulent. His poor form with the bat was compounded by an ugly spat with new coach Greg Chappell, who asked him to step down. This compelled the BCCI to draw up a truce of sorts through its review committee.

It appeared then that Ganguly had won a reprieve from Chappell's scathing observations sent in a 2615-word email from Zimbabwe to the BCCI president - historic for its content as well as length - which had been intriguingly leaked to the media. But, obviously, the mandarins of the board were only seeking a 'cooling off' period before this selection.

It is unlikely that Ganguly's name will feature when the team is chosen on Friday because the selectors don't have much to go by regarding his fitness. But his form in Zimbabwe was reasonable, and he does have an enviable record in one-day international cricket, so he will still be on their short-list as they are likely to choose the team only for the first two matches against Sri Lanka.

Ganguly leads East Zone in a Duleep Trophy tie starting October 20, and if he can prove his fitness, he may regain his place in the team, though as an ordinary player.