Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has revealed a deeply personal moment from his playing days, sharing that VVS Laxman did not speak to him for three months after being left out of India’s squad for the 2003 ODI World Cup. Ganguly, who was then leading the side, admitted that the decision to omit Laxman in favour of all-rounder Dinesh Mongia caused a significant rift between the two teammates.
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India vs England 1st Test Day 3“It has happened many times when we rested players. They were unhappy. Laxman being left out of the World Cup... he never spoke to me for three months. Then I made up with him,” Ganguly told PTI, adding, “Anybody would get upset... especially a player of Laxman's calibre. Quite natural that he would be hurt.”
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The decision had stirred controversy even at the time. Last year, former selection committee chief Kiran More revealed that all five selectors had backed Laxman’s inclusion, but Ganguly and then head coach John Wright had a different view.
Despite having 2,338 runs from 86 ODIs, Laxman never featured in a single World Cup game for India. However, Ganguly stressed that Laxman’s return post-World Cup proved his value.
“He was happy we did well in the World Cup. And when we came back, he returned to the ODI team. He was outstanding in Pakistan and Australia. They all knew it was never personal,” Ganguly said.
India finished runners-up in the 2003 World Cup, losing to Australia in the final.
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