Dalmiya calls for Ganguly's inclusion

Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former president of the Indian board, has questioned the axing of Sourav Ganguly and has urged Sharad Pawar, the president of the Indian board, to reinstate Ganguly in the national side.

In a letter to Pawar, Dalmiya cited earlier cases of players being recalled and wished that Ganguly got back into the side for the Ahmedabad Test against Sri Lanka, starting on December 18. "Since you have realised that Sourav should not have been dropped from the team after performing well in the Delhi Test, I would earnestly appeal for your kind intervention in the matter and to advise the secretary to reinstate Sourav in the squad for the Ahmedabad Test," wrote Dalmiya. "It was known fact that justice was not meted out to Ganguly. The position of the BCCI president cannot be devoid of reasonableness and hence, this appeal for 'justice delayed' rather than 'justice denied'."

Dalmiya said that the BCCI president was usually informed about the team before its announcement. He added that "there could always be an exception in very special circumstances" after saying that the prerogative for choosing the team lay with the selection panel. Reacting to Pawar's statement that the BCCI president could only intervene on overseas tours, Dalmiya said that Pawar had been "misled by some in the matter". He also cited several instances when the board president had been informed of the team's composition before the announcement was made. . "When Mr NKP Salve was president from 1982-83 to 1984-85, Mr AW Kanmadikar, the secretary, always informed the president before announcing the Indian team for either home series or foreign tours. During Mr Salve's tenure, Sunil Gavaskar, the little master, was once dropped from the Indian team for a particular home series and there was nationwide agitation. Mr Salve had to intervene and include Gavaskar in the team. Mr [Ranbir Singh] Mahendra as the secretary followed the same practice when Mr BN Dutt took over as president from 1988-89 to 1989-90. In fact, the selectors had dropped Kapil Dev from the Indian team that toured New Zealand in 1989-90 and Mr Dutt had to intervene to include him in the team."