When Sourav Ganguly [Images] made his India debut almost 14 years ago, he was banished after a single one-day game and slammed for his poor attitude.

It took the combative player five years to make his comeback. He did that with a flourish, scoring hundreds in his first two Tests against England [Images] in 1996.

After Thursday's decision to dismiss Ganguly as captain and bring in top batsman Rahul Dravid [Images] as his replacement, India's most successful Test skipper must again feel as dejected as he did at the start of his career.

Plagued by poor batting form and an elbow injury picked up during last month's tour to Zimbabwe, the Bengal batsman's future appears in serious doubt.

Despite a record 21 victories in 49 Tests as skipper, he has looked increasingly vulnerable against pace, suggesting his batting abilities are on the wane.

This also seems to have affected his captaincy.

He was handed a two-Test ban in late 2004 for India's slow over-rate in a one-day defeat by Pakistan, which he successfully appealed against.

Ganguly then received a six-match suspension for one-dayers in April following his team's slow over-rate during the limited-overs series defeat by Pakistan. That ban was eventually reduced by two games.

He suffered another setback in Zimbabwe last month.

After scoring his first Test hundred since November 2003, Ganguly said India coach Greg Chappell [Images] had suggested he make way for an in-form batsman.

Although the former Australia captain said he had only tried to motivate the player, the issue blew up into a major row when the coach's e-mail to the board, leaked to the media, said Ganguly was no longer fit to lead the team.

The board told the two men to patch up their differences but also said Ganguly would have to regain his batting form quickly.

EARLY TROUBLE

Ganguly's career almost ended before it began.

He made a forgettable start, discarded after his India debut as a teenager in 1991-92 with critics blaming his indifferent attitude.

Ganguly's batting stood out for his flowing off-side shots but bowlers soon began to exploit his weakness against short-pitched deliveries aimed at the rib cage.

He became captain in 2000 after Sachin Tendulkar [Images] quit following a 3-0 Test series rout by Australia.

Ganguly's batting inconsistency was papered over as he added steel to the side.

Linking up with New Zealander John Wright [Images], appointed India's first foreign coach, Ganguly moulded the likes of spinner Harbhajan Singh [Images] and middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh [Images], who had been slammed for their poor attitude soon after their debuts.

He led India to one of their greatest Test series triumphs in 2001 when they registered a stunning 2-1 comeback victory at home to Australia.

Ganguly steered the team to a creditable 1-1 Test series draw in England and a share of the Champions Trophy with hosts Sri Lanka [Images] in 2002 before producing a fighting 1-1 Test series draw in Australia in early 2004.

He then spearheaded India to an historic maiden Test series triumph against Pakistan last year, becoming his country's most successful Test captain.

But critics slammed his selection, particularly after he sat out the last two games during a 2-1 home series defeat by Australia last year.

Amid gathering gloom, perhaps Ganguly's only bright spark in recent months was completing 10,000 one-day runs, becoming only the third batsman to achieve the feat.