The strange case of Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly-part 2

Then came the fateful tour to Zimbabwe in the end of 2005. Indian cricket saw its most public mud slinging, and consequently, Ganguly was unceremoniously ousted from the team, and banished to the wilderness of Indian domestic cricket. He's gone for life, said most pundits, giving him less than a chance in a million to come back. And so it was that Dravid became captain. His statement of "being happy" at his promotion no doubt belied his true feelings, after having waited in the wings for years. That was Dravid the gentleman, trust him to be magnanimous at all his successes.

Gone with Ganguly were most of the seniors who had become complacent, and there was a glut of youngsters in the team at once. Exceptional performances in the beginning of 2006, including historic wins at Pakistan and West Indies lead many to believe this was the revival of the Indian team.

Meanwhile, unnoticed, in empty stadiums and foregone tournaments, Ganguly rebuilt himself. The fact that the team was doing well without him must have deterred him no doubt, but to his credit, he never gave up. It was his trial by fire, and he never once flinched or shrank back.
On the flipside for the team, with youth came inexperience. A horrendous tour of Malaysia, followed by nightmarish defeats at South Africa, lead to serious doubts about the quality of these overnight heroes, and a few called for the seasoned hands again. As destiny would have it, his name was on the cards, on the selection meetings, and on the lips of every bereaved fan in the fanatic country.

When India lost all the one dayers in South Africa, that was it. Out were Raina, Kaif and their fickle promises, and Ganguly flew in. When he walked out to bat, that pompous air was gone, so was most of the arrogance, the arrogance that waved a shirt from Lords and made Steve Waugh wait, but was replaced by something grittier...his inner fire burned brighter than ever.
He looked a tired man, in body yes, but not in spirit. Atleast he hadn't given up his own fight. Dravid meanwhile was the same as ever, rock solid in his own form, and still the paragon of perfection, both as a human being and as a cricketer. As a leader though, he was a little less efficient.

I guess to be a leader, you have to be able to lower yourself to the imperfections of others and tackle them. Dravid somehow never seems to do that till date, and continues to be his own God.
Today, both Dracid and Ganguly take to the field, much the same way they have over the decade gone, and Ganguly sometimes cuts a lonely figure fielding at long on, and Dravid seems lost in his own worries, and neither can give up being themselves, which has been their boon and bane over these years.

Their story has taught me that drama is not limited to Bollywood alone. If cricket history was an epic, then Dravid and Ganguly would be characters to emulate.

They are both reaching the end of their careers now. Is there another twist in the tale? Might not be surprised if there is.