London, Mar 16: The cricketer who was being derided as "Lord Snooty" in England not so long ago is now being hailed in the same country as the captain of the World Cup tournament. With India looking all set to meet Australia in the final of the World Cup, the British media today lavished praises on the Indian side and its skipper Sourav Ganguly who, said the 'Sunday Observer', was probably the finest leader in the tournament. "For weeks the pundits have praised Ricky Ponting's growing maturity, Stephen Fleming's ingenuity. But Ganguly can lay claim to being the captain of the tournament," the paper said. "India's captain is not liked but he is just the man for the job," it said and commended Ganguly for sacrificing his role of the opener for team's sake. "Ganguly has also been prepared to sacrifice his own role in the side - rather more readily than, say Nasser Hussain, England captain.

"Instead of sending angry hand signals to the press box- a la Hussain - he has surreptitiously yielded so that India can open with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag."

The paper said Ganguly was one of the few international captains who really believes that he can beat the Aussies.

"If Ganguly lifts the trophy, even Steve Waugh might be impressed," it said.

Bureau Report