“He never spoke to me for three months” - Sourav Ganguly’s stunning reveal of dropping star batter from 2003 World Cup

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly made a stunning revelation about legendary batter VVS Laxman not talking to him for three months after the 2003 ODI World Cup squad was announced. With Ganguly captaining the side, Laxman was excluded from the World Cup squad despite being part of the team until the start of the year.

The Indian think tank went with the all-round option of Dinesh Mongia instead of Laxman in the squad. The Men in Blue overcame a slow start to finish as runners-up in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

Recalling the various selection debacles during his captaincy tenure in an interview with the PTI, Ganguly said (via TOI):

"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. Anybody would get upset... especially a player of Laxman's calibre. Quite natural that he would be hurt."

The former captain added:

"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."

Laxman returned to the Indian ODI side immediately after the 2003 World Cup and featured in the XI predominantly until 2005. He played his last white-ball game for India in 2006.

"I am open to it" - Sourav Ganguly on potential Team India head coaching role

Sourav Ganguly expressed his interest in coaching the Indian side in the future should the opportunity arise. The 52-year-old remains one of India's most successful captains, leading the side to 97 wins in 195 games across formats.

"I got into different roles. After finishing, I became the president (CAB), then the board president (BCCI). I never got the time. But let's see what the future holds. I am just 50 and I am open to it. We will see where it goes," said Ganguly (via India Today).

Sourav Ganguly is India's fifth all-time leading run-scorer with 18,433 runs, including 38 centuries in 421 games. The Men in Blue won their first ICC title after 2000 under him in the 2002 Champions Trophy.