Here's what Ravi Shastri has to say on reports of rift with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

The reports of a rift between Indian head coach Ravi Shastri and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has been making rounds for quite some now but Ravi Shastri declined it saying ‘brilliant chaat and bhel puri for the media’.

Ravi Shastri and Sourav Ganguly had a difference of opinion in 2016 when Shastri reapplied for coach’s job and Ganguly was a part of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which picked Anil Kumble for the position. In 2017, Ravi Shastri got the job back after Kumble resigned following his widely known fall-out with captain Virat Kohli.

“He [Ganguly] took over Indian cricket at the most troubled times. You needed the faith of the people to come back. What he has done as a cricketer... I have the utmost respect. If people think I don’t respect that, to hell with them. As far as the Sourav-Shastri game that goes, that’s brilliant chaat and bhel puri for the media,” Ravi Shastri said in the latest episode of India Today Inspiration.

During the India Today’s event on Friday, Sourav Ganguly was questioned about speculation that he has score to settle with Ravi Shastri because of past disputes.

“That’s why it is speculation. I don’t have an answer to it [speculations]. It’s pretty simple. It’s about performance. You perform, you continue or else somebody else would take over. It’s a simple formula,” Ganguly had said.

Saurav Ganguly also stated that there should not be a need for re-appointment of the head coach even though the ad-hoc CAC formed to pick the head coach had served conflict notice by Ethics Officer DK Jain.

“I don’t think so that it will jeopardize the selection of Shastri. I am not sure though. Even we had selected the coach when there was this conflict issue,” Ganguly pointed.

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