CHENNAI: Inviting Ravi Shastri and Sourav Ganguly to share the same room, in person or through video conferencing, was a car crash waiting to happen. They are both vocal and wear their heart on their sleeves. And so it proved even when fates conspired to separate them during the interview to pick an Indian coach.
Forty eight hours after Shastri, who was overlooked as the coach of the national team, attacked Ganguly for being “disrespectful” as he “wasn’t there in the room when I was interviewed”, Ganguly hit back in the strongest of manners. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were the other two members of the cricket committee. “I just feel his comments are very personal,” was one of Ganguly’s opening salvos. “If Ravi Shastri feels that Sourav Ganguly was responsible for him not being the coach, he is living in a fool’s world.”
While Shastri, who had been team India director for the last 18 months, cried foul over Ganguly’s absence during his briefing, the southpaw went for the jugular. “It angers me that he gave a suggestion that I should be available for such meetings. I have been a part of BCCI meetings for some time and I have always been available,” he told a TV channel.
“My advice to Ravi is that when the coach of India is selected (…) he should be in front of the committee and not sit in Bangkok and give a presentation while being on a holiday,” Ganguly said.
This chapter is not closed yet.