Sourav Ganguly reveals VVS Laxman didn't speak to him for 3 months after getting dropped: 'It happened many times'
Former India cricketer VVS Laxman had one of the most decorated careers in international cricket, with numerous stories of his resilience and heroics. Yet, the legendary batter never played a World Cup game. In December 2002, he was removed from the squad for the 2003 ICC tournament and replaced by Dinesh Mongia. Then-captain Sourav Ganguly, the man behind the big call, which even resulted in him arguing with the selectors, opened up on Sunday, clarifying that the decision left Laxman deeply hurt and that he did not speak to him for three months. VVS Laxman was not picked for the 2003 World Cup
The toss-up was always between Laxman and Mongia, even as the latter was not part of the then-ongoing Zimbabwe tour around which the selection meeting occurred. But Laxman's ODI numbers weren't quite significant either - 1240 runs at an average of just 27.55 and a strike rate of only 67.02. Eventually, it was Mongia who pipped the batter owing to his sharper fielding skills.
Speaking to the PTI, Ganguly recalled that Laxman was "unhappy and naturally upset" after the announcement, and he did not talk to him for three months until he made up with him.
'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,' he said.
Ganguly, however, admitted that Laxman made an impressive return to the ODI team after the World Cup, where India India had finished as runners-up.
'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.' Why was VVS Laxman left out?
Former India chief selector Kiran More, speaking on the Caught Behind YouTube channel last year, had revealed that all five selectors were on board to pick Laxman in the World Cup squad, but Ganguly and head coach John Wright had a different opinion.
"Before the 2003 ODI World Cup selection meeting, we had a huge argument when the Indian team was playing in New Zealand. As per the inputs received from the captain and the coach, we selected a 14-member squad and asked them what they thought of it," said More.
"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'.
"All five selectors were on the same page. We thought, 'how could we drop someone like Laxman'. But when we eventually had an elaborate discussion with all the stakeholders including captain, coach, and vice captain Rahul Dravid, we eventually took a big call that we have to give them what they want." he concluded.
More had further revealed that Laxman had not talked to the selectors for two years, and neither did the selection committee ever come out in public to say it was Ganguly's call.
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