Sourav Ganguly on way to his 98 in Nagpur on Sunday. (AP)

Lucknow: Being politically correct in the dressing room is part of the settling down process for a one-time captain returning as an ordinary player. In fact, teammates also tend to be ‘correct’ while interacting with him.

Exactly a year ago, Sourav Ganguly had been wary of opening his mouth (at least not beyond a point) on Team India’s tour of Pakistan. It had been a comeback for him.

Equally, teammates were careful, lest...

The atmosphere was better when Sourav joined the Rahul Dravids as a Test specialist in South Africa last month. It has to improve appreciably after his superb 98 on Sunday.

A performer, after all, walks around somewhat differently in the dressing room. Those who’ve been part of it from Nagpur to Napier will quickly confirm.

“I’ve been made to feel comfortable,” is what Sourav told The Telegraph in South Africa. Yet, he’d been making an effort to not overreach himself, except the odd occasion like forgetting he wasn’t the captain on the fourth afternoon of the Cape Town Test.

Dravid wasn’t too pleased, though, and that got picked up by the stump microphone.

Sourav, of course, returned as India’s highest run-getter in the Test series and even if somebody didn’t like him, he would have to do a swallowing-act.

Indeed, after an awesome return in ODIs as well, it may gradually be back to the good old days when Sourav was quite like a tiger in the dressing room.

Footnote: As many as 41 ODIs were played in the 16 months that Sourav was kept out. With his comeback ending the heart-wrenching run of six defeats (two at home, the rest in South Africa), the question to be asked is: Was it necessary for the previous selection committee to have had a one-point (keep Sourav out) agenda? Perhaps, Kiran More can enlighten us.