On June 23, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s advisory committee selected former Indian captain Anil Kumble as the head coach of the national cricket team. The matter should have ended there. However, a week later, instead of the national discussion being around the challenges that lie ahead for Kumble and the Indian team ahead of a season comprising as many as 13 Test matches, there is a completely different pot brewing.
Two days after the announcement, one of the leading contenders for the post and former India team director Ravi Shastri told the media that one of the members of the BCCI’s advisory committee, Sourav Ganguly, was not present for the interview. Shastri said that “that person was disrespectful of the candidate who was going to the interviewed and disrespectful to the job he was entrusted to do.” Asked what advice he would give Ganguly, Shastri said, “Next time be at a meeting when someone is being interviewed for a position as important as that.”
And just like that the gloves were off. A day later, Ganguly hit back at Shastri, telling reporters, “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 said that there were two other reputed former cricketers in the committee, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, who interviewed Shastri, adding that the reason he was not present for the interview was because he had to attend a working committee meeting of the Cricket Association of Bengal, of which he is president.
As a parting shot, Ganguly added, “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.”
K.O.? Who knows? It’s not like Shastri to not have the last word and likewise for Ganguly. The media will, of course, instigate them further and lap it all up. After all, who doesn’t love some gossip and drama. Two of the most outspoken figures in Indian cricket in a no-holds-barred street fight. This is what we live for, isn’t it? It’s right up there with why Virat Kohli broke up with his actor girlfriend Anushka Sharma (and why they got back?).
Right and wrong
Shastri and Ganguly both have points in their favour. In 2016, having an interview over video conferencing is not unusual and there is nothing wrong with it if both parties have agreed to it. You would think the BCCI would have stepped in if it felt the interviews should only be done in person. Tendulkar himself attended the interviews via Skype from London, according to reports.
Ganguly was also not at fault for having to attend a meeting which he said was scheduled two weeks in advance and was impossible to cancel, while the interviews were conducted on a much shorter notice. He even said the advisory committee had agreed to wait for him to return before starting Shastri’s interview, before Tendulkar and Laxman requested if they could go ahead with it, to which he agreed.
So, who is at fault? Both, along with the BCCI.
When you go for an interview and one of four interviewers is absent, it doesn’t really come across as a reason to complain, unless there’s a backstory to it that hasn’t been revealed. Even still, if Shastri was indeed miffed with Ganguly for skipping his interview, or perhaps for some other reason, there was no need to make it public. He could have picked up the phone and called Ganguly to express his disappointment, rather than telling the media. He was gracious enough to congratulate Kumble right after the result was announced, but by attacking Ganguly publicly he comes across as a sore loser.
As for Ganguly, he could have very well just dismissed Shastri’s comments and put an end to the story. He is the president of the CAB and a high-ranking official of the BCCI. He’s got more important matters of concern than an outburst from Shastri. However, he went ahead and stoked the fire, allowing the media to play up the matter. Both he and Shastri have come off as nothing but immature schoolboys engaged in a playground fight.
The biggest culprit
However, the biggest culprit in this case is actually the BCCI, who did nothing to douse the fire and just let it rage. The board had two opportunities to step in: first, when Shastri began talking to the media and then when Ganguly responded. However, two days after Ganguly spoke, the board has still not said a word and there is a chance this war of words could escalate further. It’s clear that the BCCI does not want to get its hands dirty.
And who is the loser? Kumble, for one, who got one of the most reputed jobs available in the country, even if in questionable circumstances. His appointment has unfortunately been overshadowed by two men with pretty big egos. The other loser is, of course, Indian cricket, which is at the cusp of a gruelling season but finds itself embroiled in a petty schoolboy fight.
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