Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has recently made a big revelation about ex-Men in Blue's head coach Greg Chappell, disclosing that the Australian legend had an ambition of coaching three-time IPL title holders Kolkata Knight Riders. The revelation adds a stunning new chapter to one of the most volatile and heavily documented feuds in Indian cricket history, which famously saw Chappell strip Ganguly of the national captaincy and drop him from the squad altogether in the mid-2000s.
Sourav Ganguly on Greg Chappell's ambition of becoming KKR coach
Despite their highly publicised fallout, Ganguly revealed that Chappell attempted to orchestrate an unexpected reunion years later. Speaking on the Adda with GB podcast, the former BCCI president shared details of an email he received from Chappell during the 2011 Indian Premier League season. At the time, Ganguly was leading the Kolkata franchise, and Chappell reached out directly to pitch the idea of joining forces once again, this time with Chappell as the head coach and Ganguly as his captain.
"He had also sent me an email once before, in 2011 when I was the KKR captain, that he wanted to coach KKR," Ganguly said.
When the podcast host asked how that re-union would have functioned had the offer been accepted, Ganguly made it clear that he had no intention of repeating past mistakes. Laughing off the notion, the iconic skipper quipped that he wasn't naive enough to fall into the same trap twice. "Dada is not that big of a fool," Ganguly remarked, stressing that while he might have been burned once before, he could never be fooled over and over again.
I don't answer people who are not honest: Ganguly
Ganguly shared another surprising anecdote on the podcast, revealing that Greg Chappell had reached out to him via text message years later, asking the former Indian captain to sign a petition supporting legendary Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan. Ganguly, true to form, chose to completely ignore the message, effectively shutting down any possibility of a future reconciliation between the two.
"I don't answer people who are not honest," he added.
Reflecting on his decision to cut ties completely, Ganguly stated that his boundary comes down to a matter of integrity. He explained that while he respects differing opinions and can accept constructive criticism, he has zero tolerance for individuals who employ underhanded tactics. For Ganguly, a straight-talking critic who tells him to his face that he isn't good enough will always earn more respect than someone who operates dishonestly.
Choosing between two Australian rivals
During his time with KKR, Ganguly's administrative headaches weren't limited to Chappell; he famously clashed with another Australian tactician, John Buchanan. Buchanan's controversial "multiple captaincy" strategy sparked widespread debate and caused severe friction within the KKR camp during the tournament's formative years.
When asked to make a tough choice between his two former adversaries, Ganguly didn't hesitate to pick Chappell over Buchanan. Despite their incredibly rocky history on and off the field, the iconic Indian skipper admitted that Chappell at least possessed a deep, fundamental understanding of the sport.