Sourav

Calcutta: Well-placed sources in Abu Dhabi have confirmed both captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell don’t want the Sourav Ganguly chapter to be reopened.

However, sources at home have indicated “some” selectors intend taking an “aggressive” stand during Thursday afternoon’s selection committee meeting in Mumbai.

Kiran More and his colleagues (V.B. Chandrasekhar, Bhupinder Singh, Sanjay Jagdale and Ranjib Biswal) will be picking 16 for the five ODIs in the West Indies, between May 18-28.

The squad for the Test series is going to be chosen later.

East’s Biswal had the support of Bhupinder (North) and South’s Chandrasekhar when Sourav got recalled the last time ' four months ago, for the Test series in Pakistan.

If the former captain’s career is to be revived, then all three will again have to speak in unison. Firmly, too.

“The team management continues to be opposed (to Sourav), but a concerted move is being made to rehabilitate the former captain,” one of the sources told The Telegraph late on Wednesday.

Two factors could work in Sourav’s favour: Sachin Tendulkar’s absence (it’s confirmed he won’t be available for the ODIs) and Mohammed Kaif’s pathetic run.

Strangely, despite scores of 8, 5 not out, 0, 0, 4, 0, 0, 5 and 15 this year, Dravid and Chappell appear to favour Kaif being persisted with.

They dropped him for the last three ODIs, though.

Sourav’s backers on the selection committee may go along with the captain and coach if he gets accommodated. Give-and-take, after all, has been an age-old arrangement.

Incidentally, Sourav’s last ODI appearance was in the tri-series final in Harare, versus New Zealand, more than seven months ago.

The Board hasn’t announced that the tour party is going to be 16-strong, but one of the selectors informed it would be so.

He said: “There were 16 on the last tour, to Pakistan' Initially, we only picked 15, but Ramesh Powar was added after the first ODI' With the West Indies being so far away, it’s better to have 16'”

There’s talk of two wicketkeepers being picked, but that’s not confirmed.

Some feel Mahendra Singh Dhoni must have a deputy, while others are of the opinion that (in an emergency) Dravid can himself wear the big gloves.

Given that Dinesh Karthik was plucked out of nowhere and fielded in Indore last week, he would be the favourite to accompany Dhoni if two wicketkeepers do make the squad.