Most old wounds heal with time, but in Sourav Ganguly’s case, it seems the Greg Chappell chapter will always remain one of the most bitter experiences of his life. How else do you explain that, even 20 years after the Chappell Ganguly saga unfolded, the former India captain refuses to forgive the Australian for what transpired during those 12 tumultuous months in 2005-06? Chappell barely seems to exist for Ganguly. In fact, Ganguly revealed that when the former Australia coach reached out to him in February, seeking his support for a petition urging medical care for the jailed Imran Khan, the former BCCI chief did not reply.
“Yes, but I don’t answer him,” Ganguly told senior sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya on the AddaGBPodcast when asked if he too received Chappell’s interest in signing the petition. “I don’t answer people who are not honest. You may have opinions. You may feel that someone is not a good player or an average player, but I don’t like people who take the wrong route to solve problems. I like people who tell me on my face that you are not good enough.”
In September 2005, Indian cricket entered one of its rockiest phases when coach Greg Chappell, appointed after Sourav Ganguly's recommendation, wrote in a letter addressed to the BCCI that he suggested Ganguly step down. Ganguly was stripped of the captaincy in November and was later dropped from the team. After spending months on the sidelines, he returned for the Test series in South Africa in November 2006, sparking a remarkable revival. From then until his retirement from international cricket in November 2008, Ganguly played some of the finest cricket of his career. However, the chain of events left a rift between the two that has never mended.
Chappell reached out to Ganguly in 2011
Following Chappell's exit after India's disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign, Ganguly believed he had seen and heard the last of the former Australia batter. But four years later, he woke up to an email from Chappell. With Ganguly leading the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, he was stunned to learn that Chappell was interested in coaching the franchise, with Ganguly as captain.
{{/usCountry}}Following Chappell's exit after India's disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign, Ganguly believed he had seen and heard the last of the former Australia batter. But four years later, he woke up to an email from Chappell. With Ganguly leading the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, he was stunned to learn that Chappell was interested in coaching the franchise, with Ganguly as captain.
{{/usCountry}}“He had mailed me once earlier as well, in 2011, when I was the captain. He wanted to coach KKR, with me as captain. Would have been brilliant (sarcastically). These people must be thinking Dada can’t be a fool. I can be a fool once, not twice,” added Ganguly.