Ask Sourav Ganguly why didn't he attend my coaching interview: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri, who lost out to Anil Kumble in the race for head coach of the Indian cricket team, may have said he’s moved on from the disappointment, but the cricketer-turned-commentator is none the wiser about why Sourav Ganguly did not attend his screening interview earlier this month.

According to a report  in The Times of India, Shastri, who was appointed as the Team Director following the stepping down of Duncan Fletcher in mid-2014, threw the ball in Ganguly’s court, saying that it is the latter who should speak out about the issue that prevented him from turning up for the interview.

“All I can say is that Ganguly wasn’t there when I was interviewed, and you should ask what problem Ganguly has with me instead of asking me,” the former Indian all-rounder responded, when asked about his thoughts on the episode.

When pressed to give details, Shastri told PTI agency, “Nothing on Sourav. I have had enough of this. I don’t need to say anything. I was abroad and since I have come back on Monday night, I have not had time to rest.”

Shastri, who was interviewed via Skype as he was holidaying in Thailand, had revealed that former India skipper Ganguly was absent from the interview , and that he was quizzed by batting legends Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman and former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale.

Ganguly however, defended himself by saying that he couldn’t turn up for the interview as he had to be present at a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) meeting at the Eden Gardens, and refused to divulge any further details.

“The (coach selection) interview is absolutely confidential. I don’t want to talk about Shastri’s comment. You should also ask the other members of the (cricket) advisory committee,” Ganguly was quoted as saying according to an Indian Express report .

Shastri also dodged a few other bouncers pertaining to the BCCI’s appointment of Kumble as the head coach, including whether his appointment was a pre-meditated one. “Again, I am no one to answer that. My job was to prepare a team. I was able to do it with the best of ability,” Shastri added in the report on The Times of India.

However, senior BCCI officials have said the two former captains share cold vibes with each other. “Ganguly has always felt that Shastri is a renowned commentator, but never really gave him due credit for transforming the Indian team,” a BCCI source privy to developments said.

“Similarly, Shastri must have had a feeling that Ganguly, who harboured aspirations of becoming national coach himself, wanted to undermine his position. But to be fair, if Sourav saw Anil’s presentation, he should have been present during Ravi’s interview as well,” the source added.

It was learnt that Shastri did not make any PowerPoint presentations, but instead spoke about the achievements of winning the limited overs series in England, the T20 clean sweep in Australia, the Test series win in Sri Lanka and the World Cup semi-finals in Australia.

With inputs from PTI