BCCI appointed Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian cricket team earlier this month. The batting great, who takes over the reins from Ravi Shastri, has joined the team along with other support staff before the start of the New Zealand T20Is, which gets underway on November 17.
At the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair, Ganguly said he got a call from Dravid's son saying that the legendary cricketer was being too strict at home and he wanted his father to be away from home.
"I got a call from him saying his father was being too strict with him and that he needed to be taken away. That's when I called Rahul (Dravid) and told him that it was time for him to join the national team," said the BCCI president while pulling Dravid's leg.
The Kolkata-born cricketer also revealed that it was easy for him to communicate with Dravid regarding the coaching job as their friendship remained intact over the years.
"We grew up together, started around the same time, and spent most of the time playing together. So it was easy for some of us to make him feel welcome and wanted," Ganguly said.
The 48-year old Dravid also worked as the head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. With him becoming India head coach, another Indian stalwart VVS Laxman is all set to take over as NCA chief.
"Australian cricket selection at its lowest ever .. greats have to put teams in their Instagram posts to give direction ....," Ganguly tweeted with a picture of Waugh's selected XI for the Sydney Test.
Earlier, Waugh had picked his side for the fourth Test excluding the off-colour opener Aaron Finch.
Waugh had suggested the promotion of Shaun Marsh to open the batting alongside Marcus Harris, with Usman Khawaja at No.3 followed by Travis Head, skipper Tim Paine, leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood.
Labuschagne was on Sunday added to Australia's squad for the final Test after the Virat Kohli-led tourists took a historic 2-1 lead by comfortably winning the Boxing Day Test by 137 runs at Melbourne.
Meanwhile, another former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting, has suggested Marcus Harris and Usman Khawaja to open the innings for the hosts, followed by Shaun Marsh.
Everything is new in this Delhi side -- the management, players as well as support staff. But opener Shikhar Dhawan attributes the success to its coaches -- Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly.
"It has been a good season for us. The franchise started with a clean slate," Dhawan said on the sidelines of a function, organised by Fortis Healthcare and Delhi Capitals, to raise awareness about organ donation.
"The support of coaches Ponting and Ganguly has been very good. Their experience as captains helped the team. Also, the belief they instilled in players made the difference," said Dhawan. He has amassed 256 runs from eight innings.
"At the same time, youngsters in the team are maturing and playing well. Even experienced players can learn a lot from youngsters, provided you have an open mind. That's the beauty of cricket," he said.
On April 12 at the Eden Gardens, Dhawan missed a century against Kolkata Knight Riders by just three runs as his teammate Colin Ingram hit a six to give Capitals a seven-wicket victory.
But he has no regrets. "I was not thinking of the century. It was more important to win the match. At that time it was important to hold on to my wicket. If I had fallen my team would have come under pressure. I wanted to take the team over the line because we had lost a couple of matches from a winning position," he said.
On the Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup, slated in England and Wales from May 30, Dhawan said it's strong. "For the world cup, we have a good and a strong side. We are looking forward to competition. We will perform really well once we get there," he said.
Having failed to rise to the challenges of the cash-rich league in the last few seasons, Delhi have finally turned the tables this season and are sitting pretty with 16 points from 12 games. The remaining two matches will be all about maintaining supremacy and finishing the group stages on a high. After all, a top-two finish will mean that DC get two bites at the cherry in the playoffs.
Even as people have spoken about the balanced approach in this Delhi outfit and the leadership group which has been bolstered by the addition of former India skipper Sourav Ganguly as the advisor, it is the job of the senior boys to go out and show the way to the young turks on the field of play. And the man who has done that with panache this season for DC is Shikhar Dhawan.
While everyone has been talking about Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell and Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya's power hitting this season, Dhawan has quietly moved to number three in the run-getters' list with 451 runs from 12 games. A slightly lower strike-rate of 137.08 is justified by the fact that DC batsmen have had to cope with the low and slow tracks at the Feroz Shah Kotla. But what stands out is the conviction he has shown in adapting to every situation thrown at him.
But for Gabbar, as he is fondly called, it is all about the team. Asked to reveal the secret behind Delhi's resurrection this season, the India opener points at the two men at the helm of affairs - head coach Ricky Ponting and advisor Ganguly.
"The coaches play an important role and in Ponting and dada (Ganguly) we have two former skippers who led their teams successfully and know how to go about the job of planning and strategising. They know how to prepare players and give them confidence," he told IANS.
Coming to the players in the team, Dhawan feels that firing in all departments is the reason why the team has managed to rise through the ranks and sit at the top of the points table.
"The team is balanced and both the batting and bowling department has the required arsenal. The Indian players in the top-order like Rishabh (Pant), Prithvi (Shaw), skipper Shreyas (Iyer) or me as well as the overseas players have built a nice blend of youth and experience. Ishant (Sharma) has also bowled well and it has been a complete team effort," he explained.
While Dhawan has spoken about every aspect of the team except for his own form, he does reveal that coming home has been a motivation of sorts. The opener last played for Delhi in the opening season when they were called Delhi Daredevils.
"The confidence is high and I am enjoying the momentum I have gained (at the top of the order). I have been enjoying myself with Delhi. I am back with the team after 11 years so that is a reason to rejoice. The team has been doing well and that adds to the joy," he smiled.
(Story By: KAUSHIK KUMAR)
Virender Sehwag, who played alongside Ganguly, wished him in his unique witty style. "Happy Birthday to a 56" captain, Dada! 56 inch chest, 8th day of the 7th month, 8*7=56 and a World Cup average of 56. Happy Birthday Dada, May God Bless You!" tweeted Sehwag along with Ganguly's iconic image from Lords and his career statistics.
V.V.S. Laxman wrote, "Many more happy returns of the day Sourav Ganguly! Wish you ever more success and love Happy Birthday Dada."
"Happy Birthday to a man who brought about a fantastic transition in Indian cricket, a brilliant leader who backed guys he believed in to the fullest. But aise kaun chadhta hai, Dada," wrote Mohammed Kaif.
"Batsman, bowler, captain, commentator. One man. Many faces. Happy birthday, Sourav Ganguly," tweeted ICC alongwith four different pictures of 'Dada'.
"Happy birthday dada. You have been the greatest pillar to Indian cricket!!! Thanks for your guidance towards everything!!! A true legend who has made some golden memories. May god shower lots of blessings and love!" wrote Ishant Sharma.
With 11,363 runs in 311 ODIs, Ganguly is currently the third highest run-scorer for India in the 50-over-format. He also featured in 113 Test matches and scored 7,212 runs with an average of 42.17.
The left-handed batsman shared great camaraderie with Sachin Tendulkar and both went onto put together 6,609 runs in 136 matches, which includes 21 century partnerships and 23 fifty run partnerships.
Ganguly, during his captaincy, ended Australia's famous winning run of 16 back-to-back Test matches in 2001 by winning the bilateral series 2-1 at home. And it was under Ganguly's leadership when India went on to feature in the World Cup Cup final for the second time in the 2003 quadrennial event where they lost to Australia.
Dravid, who is currently the head of National Cricket Academy's (NCA) operations in Bangalore, has got a notice from BCCI's Ombudsman-cum-Ethics Officer Justice (Retd) D.K. Jain after the latter received a complain from Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) life member Sanjeev Gupta.
"New fashion in Indian cricket…conflict of interest...Best way to remain in news...god help Indian cricket...Dravid Gets Conflict of Interest Notice from BCCI Ethics Officer," Ganguly tweeted.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reacted in a similar fashion and said that such notices are insulting the legends of the game.
"Really? Don't know where it's heading to...You can't get better person then him for Indian cricket. Sending notice to these legends is like insulting them… cricket need their services for betterment… yes god save Indian cricket," tweeted Singh.
Speaking to IANS, a senior BCCI functionary on Tuesday said that Gupta in his complaint has claimed that Dravid is the NCA Director as also employed as vice-president of India Cements group, which owns IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.
"Yes, Dravid had been sent a notice by Jain last week and has two weeks to reply to the notice," the functionary said.
But it is also believed that Dravid and India Cements had mutually decided to suspend their association till Dravid works as head at the NCA.
Gupta had earlier complained against Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman.
It is this very conflict issue that had seen former players refusing to apply for the posts at the NCA as the current conflict of interest clause in the new BCCI constitution almost makes it impossible for former players to get into the system.
While Shastri was favourite to retain his position as head coach -- the CAC had made it clear it wasn't too keen on a foreign face -- there were four other candidates who looked to compete with the current coach. With Phil Simmons excusing himself from the race, Hesson, Moody, Robin Singh and Lalchand Rajput were the other candidates interviewed by the CAC.
Former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody had already been rejected last time (in 2017) and it was believed that former Kiwi coach Hesson would be the one giving Shastri a tough fight as he has the credential to match Shastri's achievements.
The 44-year-old, who holds the distinction of being the longest serving coach of the Black Caps, has a vast coaching experience. His first international assignment was with Kenya after the 2011 World Cup.
He had signed a two-year contract but had resigned much before the completion of his tenure citing security reasons. He then replaced John Wright as the New Zealand coach in 2012.
Under his coaching, the Kiwis reached their first-ever World Cup final in 2015 where they lost to Australia. His contract was extended in 2016 until the end of the 2019 World Cup, but Hesson resigned in June 2018 in order to spend more time with his family.
Hesson also served as the head coach of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab before stepping down on August 8 this year. He is in running for the position of Pakistan's head coach as well.
But in the end, Shastri's performance with the Indian team saw the former all-rounder being given his third term at the helm. With the team playing West Indies at present, Shastri connected with the committee over Skype.
India skipper Virat Kohli had already made his feelings clear before the tour of Windies when he said: "The CAC hasn't contacted me yet. If they want my opinion, I'll go and speak to them. With Ravi Bhai, we share a great camaraderie, and will definitely be very happy if he continues. But I haven't been contacted so far."
A win in the second Test, starting at Sabina Park on Friday, will take Kohli's number of Test victories as captain to 28 - the most by any Indian captain.
Dhoni had a win percentage of 45 as captain, after winning 27 matches, losing 18 and drawing 15. On the other hand, Kohli's win percentage is 55.31 -- the best among all other Indian captains in the format. In the 47 Tests under Virat Kohli, India have registered 27 wins, lost 10 games and drawn another 10.
The run-machine had also surpassed Sourav Ganguly with the most Test wins in overseas matches for India as captain in the first Test of the series. Kohli now has 12 away wins as captain in 26 matches, while Ganguly had 11 wins in 28 games.
After Dhoni retired from the longest format of the game during the tour of Australia in 2014, Kohli took over. In 2018, Kohli led India to their first ever series win in Australia as his team defeated the hosts 3-1 to seal a historic win in the Border-Gavaskar series Down Under.
Speaking at the post-match presentation after the conclusion of the first Test, Kohli, however, had not spoke much on his achievement and credited the team for the success they have achieved in the longest format in recent times.
The 38-year-old Dhoni's future in international cricket has been a topic of debate with the national selectors showing an inclination to look towards the future.
While Ganguly doesn't want people to "jump the gun" as far as Dhoni's future is concerned, he made it clear that skipper Virat Kohli's "expectations" and "what he is communicating" to the senior-most player in the team is paramount.
"No, I didn't expect him to be picked for this series (against South Africa)," Ganguly replied when asked if he was surprised with Dhoni's omission even though the official reason is his "unavailability".
"You could make out from West Indies (T20) series, that they (team management) wanted to give Rishabh a chance. They want to pursue with him, which is rightly so. Because when MS came in young, he was also persisted with," said Dhoni's first international captain.
However, one of India's best captains agreed that it's a tricky situation which skipper Kohli needs to deal with.
"I think Virat is very important as to what he is communicating to Dhoni. What he (Kohli) expects of him (Dhoni) is very hard to say. But I don't think anybody should jump the gun and pass a statement," said the 47-year-old former skipper.
"I don't know what's the communication between, Dhoni, the selectors and the team management. I am a bit far off from those discussions," he added.
For every elite athlete at the business end of their careers, a situation comes where they have to take a hard call, feels Ganguly.
"For every cricketer, there comes a stage and it hasn't left any athlete --whether its Maradona, Sampras, Tendulkar and now Dhoni. When you get to that sort of an age, you will get to that kind of a situation.
"If Virat and team management expects Dhoni to comeback and play, he will play, if they feel like moving forward, they would move forward. Of course, the selectors will also play an important role," he opined.
Ganguly also doesn't want Pant to be compared to a legend like Dhoni.
Asked if there is this "elephant in the room" (Dhoni) for Pant, Ganguly sounded dismissive.
"There is no elephant in the room. Rishabh is no MS Dhoni and will not become MS Dhoni in the next 3-4 years. It took 15 years for MS Dhoni to become "the MS Dhoni". Dhoni is a special breed in Indian cricket," said Ganguly, who also works with Pant as a 'Mentor' of Delhi Capitals.
But at the same time, he finds it baffling that there were calls from some quarters to drop the young keeper-batsman just because he has failed in one match despite his phenomenal Test record.
"I was reading somewhere after he failed in just two innings in the first Test match, that whether he will play the next Test match. I said "what?", this fellow got a hundred, only one Test ago (in Australia) and a couple of 92s few matches before that (against West Indies). He is special although I won't compare him with Dhoni."
A fit-again Wriddhiman Saha, who is a month shy of turning 35, has returned to the Indian Test squad but Ganguly said he has no option but to wait.
"Wriddhiman will have to wait for his chance. Age doesn't matter here," said Ganguly.
Kohli is on the verge of becoming India's most successful Test captain with 28 wins if his team wins the ongoing second Test against the West Indies in Kingston.
"Virat is a tremendous captain and he is getting better and better. He was criticised when he wasn't doing well for RCB in the IPL and even then I had said that I believe he is a good captain. I think he has progressed well," he said.
The West Indies team has been on a steady decline in the past few decades.
While Ganguly doesn't want to compare Caribbean outfits from the past, he is a bit taken aback by their lack of positive intent.
"But I am surprised with the way West Indies play Test cricket. They enjoyed winning tosses and putting opposition in and batting on 4th day when they have no chance," he concluded.