Ravi Shastri takes a sly dig at Sourav Ganguly
Months after the drama revolving around the selection of the Indian cricket team coach including the spat between retired Internationals Ravi Shastri and Sourav Ganguly, the former has yet again made a statement about the “Prince of Kolkata” during the second test between India and England in Vishakhapatnam. Shastri admitted that cricket in Bengal is not confined to one prince and has changed drastically over the years.
During the first session of the third day of the Vizag test, while Ravi was in the commentary box, he took a dig at Sourav Ganguly while discussing India’s bowling line-up. The Mumbai-born termed Umesh Yadav the “Vidarbha Express” and Mohammad Shami the “Sultan of Bengal.” On hearing this, his fellow commentator Sir Ian Botham said whether the term “Prince of Kolkata” is still familiar among the Indians.
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In reply to this, Shastri said that there is much more to know about Bengal cricket and the beautiful state is not just limited to one prince. This comment proves that the spat between the two heavyweights in Indian cricket still exists and it was ignited once again during the recent turn of events.
A few months earlier, Sourav Ganguly skipped Shastri’s interview for the post of Indian team coach. Ganguly, along with Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, was a part of the Cricket Advisory Committee which was responsible for the selection of the national team coach. Ravi Shastri described the incident as very disrespectful on Ganguly’s part, on skipping such an important event.
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The former Indian skipper did not keep quiet, however, and immediately pointed out the fact that Ravi Shastri should not have been holidaying in Bangkok and giving an interview over the internet on Skype for an affair of such magnitude while a legend like Anil Kumble had the time to be present in person.
After much turmoil, the coaching responsibility was handed to Anil Kumble who has been very successful so far, winning each of the ODI and Test series' he has been involved in after taking charge. The Kohli-led side still has 8 Test matches to play in the on-going home season against heavyweights like England and Australia.