'That’s the way life is. Don’t consider it a mistake': Ganguly opens up about controversial Chappell episode

When Sourav Ganguly got in touch with Greg Chappell, he thought the Australian would be the best choice for taking over as India's head coach in 2005. There was discussion in 2004 on who could succeed John Wright as the coach. Chappell was the first to pop into Ganguly's mind. The then skipper followed his instincts but little did he know that it would develop into one of the most controversial chapters of Indian cricket. Also Read | Jimmy Neesham shares golden tweet for Hardik Pandya after India all-rounder’s heroics in 1st T20I vs England

During Chappell’s stint with the Indian team, Ganguly lost the captaincy and also his place in the squad for a while. The highly-publicised episode is being seen as a dark phase but Ganguly has no qualms about it. The BCCI president, who turned 50 on July 8 (Friday), said he wouldn't see it as a "mistake".

In an interview with The Telegraph India, Ganguly said, “This is an after-thought. When you appoint someone, you appoint someone. Then if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. That’s the way life is. So I don’t consider it a mistake."

Ganguly also opened up about the phase where he had to go back to domestic cricket. He saw it as a 'break' after playing international cricket for 13 long years.

“I don’t think playing domestic cricket was tough but the entire situation was tough because it was something beyond my batting and bowling capabilities. So I couldn’t control that. I played for India for 13 years without a break before that. I hadn’t missed anything, not a series or tour. I hadn’t taken any rest like a lot of the players do now. So I consider those 4-6 months as a break from my career after those 13 years in an overall career of 17 years at the international level,” added Ganguly.

The IPL media rights for 2023-27 were sold for ₹48,390 by the BCCI with TV rights accounting for ₹23,575 crore and digital fetching ₹23,758 crore for 410 matches. Ganguly said the board has set a high standard, further explaining how the lucrative T20 league has shaped up Indian cricket.

“Yeah absolutely... we have set the bar high. But you know I feel fortunate that I have been part of this meteoric rise of Indian cricket from Day I. When I started playing cricket there was nothing. Then it went through a transformation phase from 1996... then the IPL happened and the transformation kept continuing.”

"Now as BCCI president, the figure has touched (Rs) 48,390.32 crore. And it’s not just about this. It’s also the (Rs) 12,715 crore the two new franchises fetched... The international broadcast rights are up next year. So it will be close to (Rs) 70,000-75,000 crore. That is huge," said the former India skipper.