Source:Cricketnirvana
Around noon on Monday, Ganguly heard first from a close friend that he was the one to miss out on the Irani Cup.When he heard it first, the former India captain did not believe what he heard from his friend because till then the team was not announced officially. What his friend told him, however made an instant imprint on Ganguly's mind, but he still kept hoping that what he heard was not true.

Then came the official announcement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The nerves had finally settled, so Ganguly could gather his thoughts and courage to ask a question to his friend. ''What is the rest of the team?'' Ganguly queried his friend. The left-hander wanted to know the make-up of the side, just to get a sense of who else had missed out.

When he heard that everyone else, except him were in the squad, Ganguly gave away his state of mind. ''Why only me?'' asked a surprised Ganguly, but did not talk much.

Thereafter much of the afternoon he shut himself out from the world, preferring to be on his own.

He then kept up his commitment to be a chief guest for a local chess tournament in the evening. Ganguly gave away the prizes but the hurt on his face was quite apparent. He did appear shell shocked, but attended the function because he had a prior commitment. It was quite brave of him to make the event considering what he had been through just a few hours ago.

As he gave away the prizes, Ganguly did not forget to do his duty as a noted sportsperson from the city. He encouraged the boys, asked them to stay focussed and set targets for their careers. ''Always be happy with your efforts and results will follow,'' Ganguly told the budding chess players.

The day ended for Ganguly on a very sombre note, but he atleast had the satisfaction of passing on his knowledge and experience to budding sportsmen.

But what must have surely disturbed the former India captain is the fact that he did not receive a single phone call from either the national selectors or the BCCI.

The decision on Ganguly has once again brought cricket alive in this city. After recent disturbances over an industrial house's car plant, the focus is back squarely on cricket.

The fans are slowly venting their angst much like they did in 2006. Some even questioned the logic of saying Ganguly is a bad fielder, claiming that there were atleast two others who worse than him.

For some others Ganguly's case is the continuation of an age-old bias against Bengal players. They are quick to list the names of Subrata Guha, Samar Chakraborty, Gopal Bose, Ambar Roy, Shyam Sundar Mitra, Shute Bannerjee, Probir Sen as some others who have suffered in the past.

The ferocity with which the fans came out in support of Ganguly in 2006 is yet to be seen now. But everybody realise unlike two years ago, the time is fast running out for the Prince of Kolkata.

Perhaps what will be a source of relief for Ganguly is the fact the team for the Test series against Australia will be chosen by the new set of selectors. But will that be enough to revive a sagging career? Only time will tell.