"He never spoke to me....": Sourav Ganguly exposes ugly fallout with VVS Laxman

Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly has revealed that VVS Laxman was "unhappy and naturally upset" after being left out of the squad for the 2003 World Cup. Ganguly said that Laxman didn’t speak to him for three months after the announcement, adding that they reconciled after the tournament.

Laxman was replaced by Dinesh Mongia in India’s squad for the 2003 World Cup. Then-captain Sourav Ganguly reportedly argued with the selectors over the decision. Although Mongia was not part of the Zimbabwe tour that was underway at the time, he was picked ahead of Laxman, which led to debates.

VVS Laxman Never Spoke to Me for Three Months - Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly revealed that VVS Laxman was disappointed after being excluded from India’s 2003 World Cup squad. Ganguly said that such reactions are understandable, especially from a player of Laxman’s stature.

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“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...for a World Cup. Especially a player of Laxman's calibre. Quite natural that he would get upset. After we finished the World Cup, he was happy that we did well,” Ganguly said.

Laxman never featured in a single World Cup match. His omission from the 2003 squad was due to underwhelming numbers in ODIs, scoring 1,240 runs at an average of 27.55 and a strike rate of just 67.02.

He Played an Outstanding Series in Pakistan and Australia - Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly said that VVS Laxman made a strong comeback to the Indian ODI team after being left out of the World Cup squad. Ganguly added that Laxman delivered crucial performances in Pakistan and Australia.

“When we came back, he returned to the ODI system. He played an outstanding series in Pakistan and Australia. We won in Pakistan for the first time ever, and VVS was very instrumental. They knew at the back of their mind that it was never personal.”

The 2003 Cricket World Cup remains one of India’s most memorable campaigns. India got off to a shaky start with an unconvincing win against the Netherlands and a heavy loss to Australia. However, the side bounced back by winning successive matches with ease and advancing to the final.

India lost to Australia once again in the summit clash. However, the tournament holds a special place in Indian cricket history for the team’s performance. Many of the players from that squad became national heroes.

Sourav Ganguly Had a Different Opinion - Kiran More

Former India chief selector Kiran More revealed that VVS Laxman was initially picked by all five selectors. However, Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright opposed the move. Speaking on the Caught Behind YouTube channel, More said Ganguly preferred an all-rounder over Laxman in the middle order.

"Over the conference call, Ganguly had a different opinion. We had selected VVS Laxman as our middle-order batter. Ganguly was very smart. He was a brilliant captain, a person with a great cricketing brain. He said 'we need an all-rounder'," More said last year.

More had further disclosed that Laxman did not speak to the selectors for nearly two years. More also noted that the selection committee never publicly clarified that the then-captain Sourav Ganguly wanted to drop Laxman.

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