Shastri takes a dig at Ganguly & Co
MUMBAI: There seems to be no thaw in the feisty relationship between Ra vi Sh a stria nd Sour av Ganguly. After the new India coach Ravi Shastri had his own way with the appointment of B harat A run as the bowling coach, the former India skipper fired another salvo at the Cricket Advisory Committee( CA C ), which in all likelihood was aimed atoneof its members, Ganguly.
“I have matured since I last went to Sri Lanka and I have matured immense ly in the last two weeks. Mine will be a refresh button that will be pushed. I carry on from where I left. I don’t come with any baggage. The team has done exceedingly well over three years and they are the people who deserve the cricket more than anybody else ,” S has tr is aid while responding to the two-year contract that will be in place till the 2019 World Cup.
The Ganguly-Shastri spat has been reported upon several occasions in the past year and stemmed from the appoint- ment of outgoing coach Anil Kumble in 2016. Shastri, whose term as team director had concluded after the World T20, was favourite to take up the head coach role. But the CA C comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and V VS Lax man recommended Kumble to take charge.
Shortly after, Shastri had reacted, blaming Gangulyf or his ouster and termed his approach to the selection process as ‘disrespectful’, referring to Ganguly’s absence during his interview.
Ganguly retaliated by saying, “If Ravi Shastri feels that Sourav Gangulyw as responsible for him not being the India coach, he is living in a fool’s world.”
The two seemed to have buried the hatch et over the past year and were seen together on several occasions during TV commentary. But Kumble’s resignation seems to have fuelled the feud again.
The recent selection process amid rumours of Virat Kohli’s influence on the appointment of the coach put Shastri in the driving seat. Gangulyt hough, praised Virat for his abstinence from the selection process but also added that the skip per must understand how coaches function.