A ‘disappointed’ Sourav Ganguly yesterday retaliated to Ravi Shastri’s barbs at him by saying that the former team director was living in a ‘fool’s world’.
Shastri lashed out at the former India skipper on Tuesday for skipping his interview for Team India head coach, and accused Ganguly of being ‘disrespectful’. Reacting to the attack as ‘personal’, Ganguly, one of the members of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) also comprising Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and co-ordinator Sanjay Jagdale, said it was a collective decision of the committee to appoint legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble as the head coach.
Ganguly was the one who had to miss Shastri’s presentation because he had to attend the working committee meeting of the Cricket Association of Bengal, where he is president. He said he left for the CAB knowing the rest of the cricket advisory committee had the experience to make the right call.
“I just feel that the comments are very personal and if Ravi Shastri feels that I am responsible for him not being the coach of India, he’s living in a fool’s world,” Ganguly told reporters in Kolkata. “It’s a committee and there are people in the committee who are of more repute than I am and there are other people involved also who were consulted and spoken about. So that’s disappointing.
“I am extremely saddened when he went on air, expressing his views, especially from someone who has been in every BCCI committee for the last 20 years. He has been in my position, you know, the position to select the coach. I don’t think he’s aware of everything.”
Ganguly said Shastri’s meeting was scheduled at 4.15pm, but assessing the other candidates had taken a little more time than expected. Ganguly was expected at the CAB at 5pm, and had already gained the BCCI’s consent to temporarily leave the panel for this purpose. “I had informed the BCCI on the 19th [of June] in an official mail that I will have to leave at 5 o’ clock because the CAB working committee meeting was supposed to happen that day and being the president of the association, I’m supposed to chair the meeting.
“The working committee meetings get decided 14 days before the meeting and to cancel it is impossible. And this meeting was decided in two days. Ravi’s meeting was at 4.15pm in the afternoon and doing interviews with everyone it went past (that time) and we reached 5 o’clock.
“I requested the committee if I could come back at six o’clock and do it again, which they agreed. Once I came here to this meeting, I got a message from Mr Shirke that the other two members are requesting if they could continue with Ravi, which I was fine with. I said ‘Fine, I know I have been stuck with this and you please go ahead and do it.’ That happens everywhere in the world and that’s the exact story.”
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, who was advised by Shastri “next time be at a meeting when someone is being interviewed for a position as important as that”, also said that such important interviews are not given on camera. Shastri was not physically present during the interview process as he was on a vacation in Bangkok.
“Since he’s spoken about disrespect, and honestly I say this with anger, that he gave me a suggestion that in the future that I should be available for such meetings. I’ve been part of the BCCI for a while now and I make sure I’m available for such meetings.
“I have an advice for him also, when the coach of India is selected and it’s one of the most important jobs in cricket, he should be in front of the committee giving his presentation and not sit in Bangkok on holiday and make a presentation on camera especially when someone who is one of the greatest cricketers of India all time spoke for two hours nearly, Anil Kumble.”
The 43-year-old also wished Kumble the very best for his new stint. “I wish him all the luck with the Indian team. He is one of the best in the world and has been a great cricketer,” the southpaw said.