Prince of Bengal revels in being a right royal pain for England

From almost the first, Sourav Ganguly managed to get up England's pipes. Come to that, Australia, Pakistan and pretty much the cricketers of every other country have been rubbed up the wrong way. Ganguly, partly by clever design, partly by nature, has made it his speciality for more than a decade.

He has been at it again this summer, a terrier with the bat, cutting, scything, driving, mischievously unperturbed by tailored fields. Take the Third Test. Having been cut off by a crass umpiring error in the first innings and smiling imper-iously (stylish, that) as he departed, he had a delightful romp in the second. While Rahul Dravid consolidated India's position with 12 from 96 balls, Ganguly, who came in at 11 for 3, made 57 from 68. He knew it would really annoy the English.

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This is his second coming as an international cricketer. When he fell foul of India's last coach, Greg Chappell, he was jettisoned as captain and as a player. But Ganguly refused to retire as no doubt the coach had intended. "I had to prove myself again, but that's the way it goes in professional sport," he said. "You have to take it in your stride. I could have hung up my boots, said I'd captained for a long time and it's time to do something else, but it's a question of personal satisfaction. I wanted to see if I was good enough to play again. What's past is past and I'm back. Greg has gone back to Australia. I hope he's having a good time."

Not that good a time, probably. Chappell's disregard for his qualities might have ended Ganguly's career. There is a certain incongruity in this because it was Chappell whom he had approached about his batting in 2003 before India's series in Australia. In the First Test at Brisbane, Ganguly made a stirring 144. India drew the match and went on to draw the series 1-1.

That was in his first coming, the one that will endure through the ages, the one when he made his reputation for being hoity-toity. Ganguly is a perfectly charming and engaging man but he is also a master of the art of hauteur. So much was obvious when he made a debut century against England at Lord's in 1996. England refused to clap, miffed that they thought he had been caught behind earlier.

But Ganguly did not become known as the Prince of Bengal simply for his role in India's most prodigious middle order. Indeed, he is probably the least cele-brated batsman among the Fab Four, but his influence will be seen as more significant than that of Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, whom he will no doubt join as the second Indian batsman to reach 11,000 ODI runs in this series.

By dint of his certainty, Ganguly made India, in six years as captain, a formidable team prepared to perform and stand their ground anywhere in the world. Under him they drew in Australia and also in England. They won in Pakistan and reached a World Cup final. In these endeavours he was partnered by India's first foreign coach, John Wright, whom he also exasperated.

Wright and Ganguly were regular visitors to referees' rooms because of the captain's misdemeanours. The coach wrote that he refused to take the slightest notice of what anybody told him. "His high-handedness annoyed me but I secretly admired his rebellious streak because it gave the team some pepper."

Ganguly is easily India'slongest-serving and most successful captain, but he is glad to be shed of the cares. "I had it for too long and it's hard work. I have a lot more time for myself, more space. I enjoyed it but I'mhappier now." He is glad to serve under his old friend Dravid, who in turn was glad to serve under him ("He is willing to do what it takes," Dravid once said.)

It is noticeable, however, that Ganguly pays handsome tribute to Nasser Hussain. "The current England side, whatever they have achieved, is because of Nasser, who led in a very important phase. Michael Vaughan has given results, his record is superb, but he is also enjoying the benefit of what Nasser did." The analogy needed no expansion.

Watch the first England-India one-dayer live from the Rose Bowl, Sky Sports, 2pm Tuesday