5 of the most high-profile sackings in Indian cricket history

Cricket in the subcontinent is considered to be much more than just a sport. The players are put on lofty pedestals and, consequently, face endless scrutiny on every aspect of their lives. However, when the team loses, the captain and coaches have to face the wrath of the passionate public.

In India, quite a few star captains have been given the axe for the team's lack of results or for their own inconsistent form. On some occasions, even coaches have not been spared the guillotine.

Extra cover: 5 biggest rifts in Indian cricket team history till date

In chronological order, let us take us a look at five of the most high-profile sackings in Indian cricket history.

Star players who were dropped are not taken into consideration - only captains, coaches, and selectors have been included in this feature.

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#5 Sunil Gavaskar - Captain (1979)

Gavaskar responded to his removal as captain by scoring a double century at The Oval

After taking over the captaincy mantle from Bishan Singh Bedi during the 1978-79 season, Sunil Gavaskar led India to its first ever home series victory against West Indies.

Even though the Caribbean outfit was severely weakened as a result of Kerry Packer's World Series of Cricket, the batting stalwart's resolute leadership propelled the then-unheralded Indian team to a 1-0 series triumph against a visiting side - one that contained the likes of Alvin Kallicharran, Sylvester Clarke, and Malcolm Marshall.

In spite of leading the country to victory in his first assignment as full-time captain, Gavaskar was inexplicably stripped of his leadership for the 1979 tour of England, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan took over.

The Indian board insisted that the change was due to the senior off-spinner's extensive experience in English conditions, as a result of his county stint with Derbyshire.

However, allegations began to circulate about Gavaskar being reprimanded for contemplating signing with the Packer rebels.

Gavaskar responded by scoring a sublime double century which placed his team on the brink of pulling off an astonishing run-chase at The Oval. Although they came within nine runs of the whopping target of 438, India eventually settled for a creditable draw.

#4 Sandeep Patil - Coach (1996)

Patil was fired by the BCCI in the aftermath of India's wretched tour of England

An integral part of the World Cup-winning team of 1983, Sandeep Patil was a man of many talents. He was the director of the National Cricket Academy and the chairman of selectors of the BCCI. He also guided Kenya to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup.

After exhibiting his coaching skills with the India A team, he took over as coach of the Indian team in 1996, as Ajit Wadekar's successor. However, his appointment turned out to be an extremely brief one.

He was made the scapegoat for the team's inadequate performance against England. India lost the ODI series 0-2 and surrendered the Test series 0-1 to a fairly mediocre outfit.

The Indian board quickly replaced Patil with his former teammate Madan Lal.

#3 Sachin Tendulkar - Captain (1997-98)

Tendulkar was stripped of captaincy following a string of poor results from the Indian team

During the 90s, the Indian team remained a dominant force on home conditions. However, the moment the players stepped outside their comfort zone, they turned from tigers into lambs. Much of the travelling issues arose from the Indian board's lack of patience. The frequent changes in both captain and skipper prevented the formation of a settled lineup.

The captaincy was mostly traded between Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar. While the former showed commendable aptitude in handling the Indian spinners on turning tracks, the latter failed to replicate his enormous success with the bat.

At the end of the home series against Sri Lanka in the 1997-98 season, Tendulkar was stripped of his leadership duties.

Years later, Tendulkar revealed that he had learned about his sacking from a member of the media. In his autobiography titled Playing It My Way, he lashed out at the Indian board for the manner in which they handled his axing, and declared that the ensuing frustration drove him to reach new heights with the bat.

#2 Sourav Ganguly - Captain (2005)

Ganguly's tumultuous relationship with Chappell led to a slew of acrimonious incidents

At the peak of his captaincy, Sourav Ganguly was the Indian equivalent of the legendary Imran Khan. The 'Prince of Calcutta' changed the face of Indian cricket by giving opportunities to talented youngsters and instilling self-belief during demanding overseas tours.

After clamouring for the appointment of Greg Chappell as coach in 2005, the skipper fell out with the Australian's style of functioning. The events surrounding their dispute made headlines across the country.

Ganguly's declining contributions with the bat prompted the newly-appointed coach to ask him to step down from captaincy.

Extra cover: What if Greg Chappell did not become India's coach

When Ganguly remained firm, Chappell threatened to drop him from the playing eleven for a younger batsman. At the conclusion of the Zimbabwe tour, he shot off an email to the Indian board. A couple of months later, the selectors removed Ganguly from captaincy and appointed Rahul Dravid in his place.

Ganguly's woes did not stop there, as he was soon shunted out of the team. However, true to his combative demeanour, he refused to give up and completed one of the most famous comebacks in Indian cricket history.

#1 Mohinder Amarnath - Selection panel (2012)

Amarnath lost his job as national selector upon calling for M. S. Dhoni's removal as skipper

As the selection panel's North Zone representative, Mohinder Amarnath was touted to be the next chairman of the committee. However, things took a completely different turn following India's shambolic 0-4 Test whitewash in Australia.

At the end of the 2011-12 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the selection panel called for the ouster of M. S. Dhoni and his replacement with a younger captain for the upcoming ODI tri-series.

With BCCI President N. Srinivasan throwing his weight behind the wicketkeeper-batsman, the selectors' decision was reversed. Amarnath paid the price for his outspokenness and was dropped from the selection committee.