'VVS Laxman Didn't Speak To Me': Sourav Ganguly Lifts Lid On Infamous Incident
Sourav Ganguly recalled that VVS Laxman was completely heartbroken and didn't even speak to him.
- Sourav Ganguly dropped VVS Laxman from the 2003 ODI World Cup squad
- "Laxman being left out of the World Cup...he never spoke to me for three months," revealed Ganguly
- All 5 selectors wanted Laxman in the squad, but Ganguly and coach John Wright disagreed
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has made a massive revelation while recalling an incident from 2003. Ganguly revealed that former teammate VVS Laxman did not speak to him for three months after he dropped him from the 2003 ODI World Cup squad, only to replace him with Dinesh Mongia. Last year, the then selection committee chief Kiran More had revealed that all five selectors wanted to pick Laxman in the squad, but Ganguly and head coach John Wright had other plans.
"Before the 2003 ODI World Cup selection meeting, we had a huge argument when the Indian team was playing in New Zealand. As per the inputs received from the captain and the coach, we selected a 14-member squad and asked them what they thought of it. Over the conference call, Ganguly had a different opinion. We had selected VVS Laxman as our middle-order batter. Ganguly was very smart. He was a brilliant captain, a person with a great cricketing brain. He said 'we need an all-rounder'," More told former Pakistan captain Rashit Latif on his YouTube channel.
Despite playing 86 ODIs and scoring more than 2,300 runs, Laxman never got the chance to play in a World Cup match. During a recent interaction, Ganguly recalled that Laxman was completely heartbroken after he left him out of the squad. The 50-year-old didn't not speak to him for three months until he made up with him.
"It has happened many times when we rested players. They were unhappy. Laxman being left out of the World Cup...he never spoke to me for three months. Then I made up with him. Anybody would get upset...for a World Cup. Especially a player of Laxman's calibre. Quite natural that he would get upset," Ganguly told PTI.
Laxman made a stunning comeback on his return to the ODI setup after the World Cup in South Africa, where India lost to Australia in the final.
"After we finished the World Cup, he was happy that we did well. When we came back, he returned to the ODI system. He played an outstanding series in Pakistan and Australia. We won in Pakistan for the first time ever, and VVS was very instrumental. They knew at the back of their mind that it was never personal," he added.
India Cricket Team