Harmless Fun

It is amusing to read news reports on Ganguly's reception by the team and its management. Deccan Herald puts it like this:

It is no secret that the think-tank wasn’t averse to the idea of Ganguly flying out as a Test reinforcement.

The Hindu writes:

"Welcome back," shouted Greg Chappell, monitoring the nets as Ganguly walked up to the coach. The smiles were followed by a warm handshake.

Amusing because the Editor at Cricinfo had this to say last year (and he was reflecting a widely held opinion of those days):

Ganguly might not be able to see it now, but it does him no justice to be picked, not as an automatic choice, but through a process that's bound to create some delicate situations in Pakistan. It is no secret that neither the coach nor the captain wanted him on board.

And I remember seeing the coach's derisive laugh on the teevee after Ganguly completed a - for him - very difficult catch. This was during the Pakistan tour mentioned above. It was very evident that the coach's opinion of this particular player could not get very much lower than it was already.

And suddenly everything is warm and cosy between everyone concerned?