Barely days before curtain comes down on his eventful and controversial career as the chief selector, Kiran More stirred the hornet's nest, lambasting the voting system and admitted stripping Sourav Ganguly of his captaincy was the toughest decision in his four-year stint in the hot seat.
In an interview with a channel, More narrated an incident when the selectors met to pick the team for the first Test against Sri Lanka.
"This happened in Madras (Chennai) where three selectors walked into the meeting and said this is what they want. (Coach Greg) Chappell and (captain Rahul) Dravid were also present...There is no further discussion. It really hits you badly. I was very disappointed."
More, however, was upset that nothing could be done about the 3-2 voting system.
"We requested the selectors but once three people have decided there is little you can do. Then there is the secretary who plays an important role. But voting is not (a) good (practice) at all," he said, corroborated by fellow selector VB Chandrashekhar. Interestingly, the three other selectors were Yashpal Sharma, Gopal Sharma and Pranab Roy and it was their last selection committee meeting in which Sourav Ganguly, along with RP Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni made it to the squad at the expense of Zaheer Khan, Dheeraj Jadhav and Dinesh Kaarthik.
Meanwhile, More confessed sacking Ganguly from the captain's post was the toughest job of his career as selector and he advised the southpaw to take a cue from Chappell's career and walk away.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, More confessed sacking Ganguly from the captain's post was the toughest job of his career as selector and he advised the southpaw to take a cue from Chappell's career and walk away.
{{/usCountry}}"...I would ask Ganguly to give it one more year and then decide how he wants to be remembered. Ganguly still has chances but you should know when to go and what is going to benefit you.
"I'll give you the example of Greg Chappell. He got a hundred in his first and last Test. He retired after that. (Sunil) Gavaskar's 96 in Bangalore against Pakistan...He also retired after that. He (Ganguly) should go on a high note..." More added.
And asked if John Wright's allegation in his recent biography that the Indian selectors are biased is true, More had no qualms in admitting 'absolutely'.