Ganguly denies accusing BCCI of discrimination

Kolkata:

Blaming it on misinterpretation by the media, former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Saturday denied accusing the BCCI of discrimination in selection matters and said the Board should have checked his comments before reacting so sharply.

"Being a responsible person, I know what to say and what not to say. (BCCI Media and Finance Committee chairman) Rajiv Shukla should look into the tape and get the script to see if I have said something wrong before issuing a statement," Ganguly said.

Ganguly had reportedly criticised the BCCI for having "different rules for different players" in selection matters.

The comments attributed to him drew a sharp reaction from the Board with Rajiv Shukla saying that the BCCI was not prejudiced against any player.

Ganguly on Saturday blamed the entire episode on media's misinterpretation.

"I am sure the BCCI knows how reports are made. How can there be two different versions of the same press conference?

Whoever is passing any comments on me or reacting to these reports should go through my lines before making a statement," he said.

Ganguly said he never accused the BCCI of discrimination and rubbished reports that he was forced into retirement by the Board.

"It's very simple. I wanted to stop playing. Selection rules are the same for everyone. To stop playing was my wish," he said.

The former captain also sidestepped questions on whether he had been re-appointed captain of his Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders.

"This is news to me that I will be captain. I am sure when everything is decided, there are responsible people who will make an announcement," he said.

The left-hander had been replaced by New Zealand's Brendon McCullum this season.

But with national duty putting a question mark on McCullum's availability for the entire next season, there is speculation that Ganguly would return at the helm.

"KKR is such a high-profile team, there are bound to be speculations," said Ganguly.