Dispute is between Chappell and me, says Ganguly

Dispute is between Chappell and me, says Ganguly

Agence France-Presse, Mumbai

Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly said on Saturday that a
spat with coach Greg Chappell should stay between the two men and
should not be allowed to drag down the team ahead of a busy
international schedule.

The coach-captain spat worsened on Friday when Chappell
reportedly said in an e-mail sent to the Indian cricket board
that he believed Ganguly was no longer fit to lead the side.

Chappell, the former Australian Test captain and batting great
who took charge of the Indian team in June, was also said to have
threatened to quit if the captain was not changed.

"I don't think the entire team should be dragged into this,"
Ganguly said on the team's return from Zimbabwe where his side
won 2-0 to post their first Test series win outside the sub-
continent since 1986.

"It was some statement made by the coach," the Indian captain
said. "It is between the coach and me and we have to sort it out.

"I do not think the rest of the boys need to be pulled into
this. For us, it was important winning the two Tests and we won
them convincingly."

Relations between Chappell and Ganguly soured ahead of the
first Test in Bulawayo when it was revealed the coach had asked
the captain to step down because of his poor batting form.

Ganguly responded by scoring a painstaking six-hour century
against the weakest attack in cricket and then revealed the
dressing-room discussion with the coach to the media.

The Indian captain declined to comment on the coach's e-mail,
saying it was a "sensitive issue".

"I do not want to talk about this issue," he said. "Yes, I am
aware of it (the e-mail). I will talk to the board on the issue
if they ask me. It is a sensitive issue at the present moment and
I do not want to say anything to stir it up again."

The coach reportedly said in the e-mail he believed Ganguly
was not "physically or mentally" fit to lead the side.

"Chappell has told the Indian board that he will find it
difficult to continue if Ganguly is retained as captain," a board
source, who has seen the e-mail from Zimbabwe, told AFP on
Friday.

"The coach believes Ganguly is not physically or mentally fit
to lead and had lost the respect of the younger players in the
team," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The board will discuss the row at a meeting here on Tuesday.

Ganguly said it was important for the team to perform well in
coming months and it did not matter who the captain or coach was.

He conceded his team had yet to find a formula for winning
one-day finals.

"To be honest, we have not been able to find the solution of
how to win the finals. We understand it is getting difficult
after losing so many finals in a row."

India have lost more than a dozen finals in recent years,
including two this season against Sri Lanka in Colombo and New
Zealand in Harare.