What Sourav Ganguly has done as a cricketer, I have got utmost respect, asserts Ravi Shastri

In 2016, Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale were part of the Cricket Advisory Committee to find a successor for Ravi Shastri, who had been in charge of the Indian team for 18 months. After interviewing the final contenders, Anil Kumble was given the job but that created a controversy. Directing at Sourav Ganguly, Shastri had said that a member of the panel had not been present at his meeting and that "that person was disrespectful of the candidate who was going to the interviewed and disrespectful to the job he was entrusted to do."

Ganguly had replied back on why he missed Shastri's presentation by citing his working committee meeting of the Cricket Association of Bengal. He said he left for the CAB knowing the rest of the cricket advisory committee had the experience to make the right call. However, when Ganguly was appointed the BCCI president, with Shastri being the national team coach, it created a platter of unsaid suspense with many believing the history would come out to bite Shastri. But the Mumbaikar denied all the reports, with a strong statement of his own.

“As far as the Sourav-Shastri ‘game’ goes, that is a brilliant chaat and bhelpuri for the media with all mirch and masala. What he (Ganguly) has done as a cricketer, I have got utmost respect. He took over Indian cricket at the most troubled times, post the match-fixing era when the Indian cricket was in shambles,” Shastri told India Today in an interview.

"You needed the faith of the people to come back, and I respect that. And if people don’t respect that, to hell with them,” Shastri, known for his blunt-talking, said. Oustanding (Sourav as BCCI president). First of all, I am thrilled that there is a BCCI in place. We played three years without a BCCI, which allowed the ICC to take off to another level,” he added.

Being a guy who always divided opinions and a troll-favourite for his no-holds-barred interviews, Ravi Shastri has been at the receiving end of many controversies, many of them are troll-made. Recently, Virat Kohli came out on his defence saying it was agenda-driven and many of the trolls don't have any basis and when Shastri was asked on the same, it was a typical Shastri reply after all. 

“What is this social media, this troll? I post for my fans, they read, thank you very much...uske baad bhaad mai gaya jo.. (go to hell). It is just to tell my fans, I am here and what I am doing. Bolne waale bolenege (critics will never be quiet). We are a country of 1.2 billion people. People who do not have any work, they will speak,” Shastri said.