Ganguly: I had a stand-off with selectors to pick Anil Kumble for 2003-04 tour of Australia

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Making an address called \'Transforming setbacks into comebacks\' in Kolkata, Ganguly has revealed how the Indian team selectors wanted to drop Anil Kumble from the team and replace him with Murali Kartik for the famous 2003-04 tour of Australia. However, he stood his ground and told the selectors that he would not go on the tour if Kumble wasn\'t picked.

Sourav Ganguly was one of the most important captains in Indian cricket history, and a recent revelation made by him further validates that fact.

Remember this fantastic bowling spell by Anil Kumble during the Border-Gavaskar series of 2003-2004?

While this was the spell that severely dented Australian hopes of a win in the Sydney test match, we may not have witnessed it at all, as Sourav Ganguly yesterday revealed that he had to put his foot down to convince Indian selectors to choose Kumble for the tour.

Speaking during an address on 'Transforming setbacks into comebacks' at INFOCOM 2015, an annual information and communication technology conference in Kolkata, Ganguly said-

"The selectors were picking (Murali) Kartik saying 'Kumble doesn't pick wickets outside India'. But I was hell bent and said I won't go without Kumble as the meeting went on till 2'o clock in the night."

"Selectors told me if Kumble doesn't take wickets and team doesn't do well, 'we'll have a new captain'. We had the best ever Australian trip in the history. Kumble finished that season as the highest wicket taker on the ICC calendar," Ganguly said.

Kumble ended the tour with 24 wickets, the highest in the series as India drew the series 1-1, retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy they had won on home soil the previous year.

Speaking about persisting with Kumble, Ganguly added-

"He (Kumble) was a champion and was going through a phase when he was not taking wickets. That was a part of setbacks. That time you don't ask him to leave but give him those extra yards. That's how you create trust."