By Paresh Soni

Ganguly had little to cheer about after the defeat in Bangalore

Sourav Ganguly cut a desperately lonely figure in Bangalore when Pakistan's Shahid Afridi used the rough outside his off-stump to bowl him.

The Indian captain looked as bewildered as Mike Gatting did after the magic delivery which announced Shane Warne's arrival as a superstar at Old Trafford in 1993.

But, with all due respect, Afridi is no Shane Warne and Ganguly knew as much as he struggled to comprehend how low his own stock had fallen.

It took a couple of minutes for him to leave the crease, and on his way to the pavillion he received little sympathy from home fans who later booed him at the post-match ceremony.

The sarcasm and derision which greeted him must have been hard to take for the Prince of Calcutta.

Gone was the swagger which brought centuries in each of his first two Tests against England nine years ago and which has occasionally rubbed opponents - and some of his team-mates - up the wrong way.

A total of 48 runs in five innings against Pakistan has raised more questions about the left-hander's place in the team.

GANGULY'S DECLINING FORTUNES Ganguly has scored only two centuries in his last 21 Tests His average has dropped from around 50 to just over 40 in the last six years

There is also discontent in India about a perceived lack of tactical nous.

In the first Test against Pakistan at Mohali, India needed to take only four wickets to set up victory but Ganguly was strangely reluctant to pack the slip cordon.

After he left the field for treatment, vice-captain Rahul Dravid promptly added a third slip and a breakthrough came.

Facing what had been described in the Indian media as one of the weakest Pakistan sides ever, Ganguly also seemed short of ideas in Bangalore.

It was the tourists who were now asking all the questions and the Indian captain had no answers.

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But for two brilliant centuries from Rahul Dravid and an inspired spell of bowling from Anil Kumble in Calcutta, it could have been worse.

It was a far cry from the 2003/4 tour of Australia, where the captain scored a magnificent 144 in the drawn Brisbane Test, and led his team to a sensational victory in the next match at Adelaide.

After that squared series Down Under, Ganguly and coach John Wright were hailed as heroes.

Indeed, the skipper and the Kiwi coach have been rightly credited with making this Indian team tougher to beat, particularly away from home.

Things could not get much better when India claimed their first overseas series win in 11 years in, of all places, Pakistan.

But despite his record of 19 wins in 47 Tests - which is better than any of his predecessors - the suspicion remains that a team with the talent this Indian side possesses should have done better.

Ganguly was bamboozled by a sharply-turning Afridi delivery

Ganguly will be 33 by the time the next Test series comes round in October against Zimbabwe.

Former captain Bishan Bedi has led the clamour for him to be dropped in favour of a younger batsman.

"Ganguly's failure as a batsman was evident right through the series, but the last two days showed he didn't even have a game plan," Bedi fumed.

"When a wound becomes incurable, you have perform a surgery. The Indian team needs an immediate operation."

But neither Mohammad Kaif nor Yuvraj Singh have presented irresistible cases for selection.

One other important factor could buy Ganguly some more time to rediscover his batting form - the lack of alternatives for the captaincy.

Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar could find their own batting form compromised if they were given the job, likewise Virender Sehwag, who is enjoying such success at the top of the order that it would be foolhardy to disturb that.

The remaining batsman VVS Laxman has struggled since the series in Australia and his place is also at risk; of the bowlers, Anil Kumble (34) is too old, while the others are too young.

Ganguly was typically bullish on Monday, saying: "I have been around for quite a long time. I have nothing to prove to anybody."

And he may just hang on, but while his future is being very publicly debated in India, Inzamam-ul-Haq can afford to have a wry smile on his face.

Before the Test series began, all the attention was focused on the Pakistan captain and how defeat against India would signal the end of his tenure.

But after securing a share of the series spoils, and scoring almost 400 runs in the three Tests, Inzamam woke up on Tuesday in an unaccustomed position of strength and the luxury of being able to look ahead positively.

For Ganguly the jeers must still be ringing in his ears.