Sourav spat was 'blown out of proportion' - Chappell

Greg Chappell, India's coach, has once again said that the spat between him and Sourav Ganguly was "blown out of proportion" and added for good measure that the two had "moved on", suggesting there was no reason why the two could not work together. "The drama that surrounded the episode was much greater than actually was the case," Chappell said in an interview to The Hindu. "He almost needed to go through this catharsis for his other side to come out, and for him to take stock of what he needed to do.

"The problems he had in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were due to the fact that his mind was in the wrong place," Chappell continued. "Sourav has come back. He has indicated that he understands what he needs to do to be a part of this team, what his role is. One thing I have learnt about life is that forget the past, but do not forget the lesson you learn from it."

Chappell added that both he and Ganguly were professionals, and keen on doing a job for the Indian team. "He wants to play cricket for India. I want to be a good coach. And I want to be the coach of a good Indian team. But for that to happen, you need to have the group that blends well."

Chappell also refused to respond in kind to the allegations made against him by Yashpal Sharma, who was recently removed from the national selection panel. "They don't know me very well," he said. "All I can say is that the individual at the moment doesn't really understand what is going on," Chappell said. "I don't want to get sidetracked. I don't want to get involved in a slanging match. He is frustrated that he lost a job which he obviously wanted to keep. I had no part in him losing his job, but he had to take it out on someone. One thing I have learnt in life is that you cannot please everyone all the time. It's all a part of the fabric of life."