The very public spat between former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and former Indian coach Greg Chappell has always been the stuff of cricket news headlines, resembling in some ways a fascinating and popular soap opera. The story has all the elements of friends turned foes, of acrimony, elements of vendetta played out before the international cricket community to say nothing of the world media.
A recent statement by Sourav in the cricket news is yet another twist in the story that began with friendship. It was widely believed that after well documented disagreements between Chappell and Ganguly, the latter was responsible for Ganguly’s ouster from the captaincy of the Indian team.
Now however, Ganguly has sought to clarify that the role of Chappell in this removal from captaincy was limited reports
Cricket360. “There were other persons in the board and in the selection committee who influenced him. I don’t think Greg’s role in that episode was more than 15 per cent,” said Ganguly. “I was indeed upset, very upset. When you see some wrong is being done against you, you obviously get angry,” he added.
Ganguly was attending a book release when he also responded to questions regarding his retirement from international cricket. “One has to accept the fact that retirement was part of a sportsman’s life. I am sure in course of time people will forget the cricket part of life,” he said.
And his self belief and confidence in his cricketing abilities seemed undimmed as he said that he still had some cricket left in him. "I played my best cricket in my last years. If I had played, I could easily have continued for at least one or one-and-a-half years more," he said. He also paid accolades to West Indian south paw Brian Lara, saying that Lara was the greatest left hander he had ever come across.
Having now retired from international cricket, Ganguly is said to be going the way of many other cricket stalwarts who have gone on to become very successful and popular cricket commentators. With his talent and insight as well as vast experience of cricket, Cricket360 is sure that Ganguly will make a success of this as well.
