Sourav Ganguly refutes Ravi Shastri's 2007 Bangladesh tour punctuality story

Mumbai: In a recent show of Breakfast with Champions, Team India head coach Ravi Shastri stressed the importance of punctuality during his cricket career and how it was of paramount importance for him.

Shastri even recalled an incident where he was appointed the interim coach of the Indian cricket team in 2007 during the tour of Bangladesh and how he would stick by his rules.

The team bus was scheduled to leave somewhere but had been waiting for Sourav Ganguly, who was a few minutes late. Shastri then advised the driver to leave without the India captain and since then the Kolkata cricketer always arrived on time.

Dada later appeared on the same show and was taken aback by Shastri’s claims. He did not hold back and took a dig at him saying he shouldn’t be interviewed early in the morning - indicating at his late night drinking habit.

“You don’t interview in the morning, don’t bring him (Shastri) on the breakfast show he wouldn’t remember what he said. When I meet him I will tell him what do you say on the breakfast show, that never happened I don’t know where he got that from. But don’t interview him in the morning, do it in the evening he will be able to recall things better,” he said.

Ganguly and Shastri have not been in good books since 2016 when the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) headed by Ganguly roped in Anil Kumble as head coach.

After Duncan Fletcher’s tenure, Shastri was the leading candidate to replace the Zimbabwe coach until Kumble made a late entry. The CAC panel - Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and co-ordinator Sanjay Jagdale were supposed to interview the candidates and Ganguly was reportedly in favour of Kumble.

Soon after, Kumble was signed on a one-year contract and Shastri was massively disappointed. The former India director said he found Ganguly’s absence ‘disrespectful’ when he made his presentation in front of the CAC.