Sourav Ganguly hints at BCCI conspiracy being as responsible for 2005 ouster as Chappell

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly recently recalled the time he was dropped from the Indian team in 2005. The current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President described his ouster as an “absolute injustice” and spoke about his tumultuous relationship with then Indian coach and ex-Australian captain Greg Chappell. Between 2005 and 2006, the ‘Ganguly vs Chappell rivalry’ became a subject of some negative public and media commentary.

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Ganguly vs Chappell rivalry: Sourav Ganguly does not want to “blame Greg Chappell alone”

While interacting with Bengali newspaper Sangbad Pratidin, Sourav Ganguly hinted at a much bigger conspiracy behind his ouster from the Indian Test and ODI team between late 2005 and early 2006. He described his removal from the team as the “biggest setback” of his career and called it an “absolute injustice”. Sourav Ganguly said that the treatment he received could have been avoided and Greg Chappell was not alone in removing him from the team.

Even though Sourav Ganguly said that Greg Chappell was “the one who started” the process, he hinted at a conspiracy behind his ouster within the then BCCI board. According to the 113-Test veteran, “A foreign coach who doesn’t have any say in the selection cannot drop an Indian captain”. Sourav Ganguly stated that a cricket team is like a family and any misunderstandings in the family should be sorted out with dialogue. Without naming anyone, he said that “everyone was involved” in the scheme to drop him but he “didn’t crumble under pressure” and made a comeback into the Indian team shortly thereafter.

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After Sourav Ganguly’s ouster from the team, Rahul Dravid was appointed as the Indian captain. Dravid remained attached to the role till 2007 before handing the Test and ODI reins to Anil Kumble and MS Dhoni respectively. During Rahul Dravid’s leadership, India won the Test series in England in 2007. However, the ‘Men in Blue’ made an early exit from the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. Sourav Ganguly said in the interview that he “dreamt of winning” the 2007 World Cup because they had lost the previous edition in the final.

Sourav Ganguly’s stats

Sourav Ganguly is widely regarded among one of the finest captains India has ever produced. In 49 Tests, he led India to 21 wins and in 146 ODIs, he led the ‘Men in Blue’ to 76 victories. Sourav Ganguly also played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs between 1992 and 2008 to score over 18,000 international runs.

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Image courtesy: PTI