Now for the real thing

Well, thats out of the way. The BCCI names Graham Ford as coach of the Indian cricket team. The silly business of naming a total no-hoper like Emburey is over and done with, and now the real business can begin. Cricket's conception of the coach has become increasingly Americanized, and the captain's role has been disturbingly decreased. Hopefully, Ford can restore the balance; and hopefully, Dravid and him will get the selections they want. A very good South African friend had written to me earlier this morning asking me what I thought of Ford as Indian coach, and I wrote back saying he looked like the more qualified of the two candidates (by a long shot) and I would be happy to see him appointed. I realized later that Tommie was actually asking about whether I felt comfortable with the notion of a furriner being the Indian coach. I couldn't care about the nationality frankly. A Pakistani or a Martian would do just fine for India, so long as they had a good cricketing brain, and didn't try and be captain as well. Good luck to Ford; he's going to need it, especially with the media storm thats going to hit him. Hopefully, he'll check in with John Wright for tips.