There is only one way a good batsman answers his critics. By scoring runs. Sourav Ganguly has chosen that route. His century against North Zone in Rajkot marks the beginning of his comeback trail. When he lost the captaincy of the Indian team and his place in the side, Ganguly had very rightly kept his mouth shut. He had an elbow injury to worry about, and he must have known that his career was at stake. He waited for his injury to heal, trained hard during the period, and in the first opportunity available to him, he let his bat speak for him. It is difficult to see how on current performance he can be kept away from the Indian squad. It is no longer a question of if he is called back, but of when he is called back. He should inform his return with dignity and a resolution to give his best to the side. By so doing, he will make his fans happy, his critics quiet, and what is most important, get back his own enjoyment of the game. Of late, he has looked tired and overburdened; the natural aggressiveness of his body language has given way to drooping shoulders and a scowling face. Runs off the bat will restore confidence and boost his morale. But Ganguly will surely be aware that scoring runs against North Zone and against a good international side are two different things.

Fairness has never been an integral part of the selection process in India. This is evident also from the way Ganguly is being treated. Sachin Tendulkar has been out of cricket at any level for at least six months. He returned to domestic cricket in the Challenger Trophy, where his highest score was 22 in three matches. So it must be assumed that he has been recalled on the basis of his past record. But the yardstick of past performance was not used for Ganguly. If performance is indeed the only criterion for selection, then it should be applied to all players. If Ganguly was dropped for other reasons, then those reasons should be made public. He had and his fans have grounds for being suspicious about the motives of the selection committee.

Ganguly should, however, put his various grouses, against the selection committee, against the coach, against players who have not stood by him and sundry others, behind him. In cricketing circles, he is fondly known as dada and living up to this nickname, he should rise above all pettiness and do what he does best, make runs. Ganguly is the dada of stroke production on the off side. The great attraction of his batting is not its technical perfection but the almost incredible hand-eye co-ordination. His return to form will depend on how well and how quickly he gets that co-ordination back; it will also prove that old cricketing adage that form is temporary, class is permanent. Calcutta?s prince can still rise from the ashes to claim the crown that was once his.