The Captain vs The Coach: Ganguly and Chappell
Few episodes in Indian cricket were as turbulent as the feud between captain Sourav Ganguly and coach Greg Chappell. Appointed in 2005, Chappell’s tenure was meant to usher in a new era. Instead, it led to a dramatic power struggle. During a tour of Zimbabwe,
Chappell suggested Ganguly step down from captaincy to focus on his batting. This snowballed into a major conflict, culminating in an infamous leaked email from Chappell to the BCCI, where he deemed Ganguly “mentally and physically unfit” to lead. Ganguly was soon stripped of his captaincy and dropped from the team altogether, sparking street protests in Kolkata and debates in Parliament. Though he eventually made a successful comeback, the saga remains a raw and divisive chapter, showcasing how a personality clash could destabilize an entire team. Ganguly himself has called the episode “unthinkable, unacceptable, unforgivable”.
The 3D Glasses Affair: Ambati Rayudu’s 2019 Snub
For months leading up to the 2019 ICC World Cup, Ambati Rayudu was groomed for India's crucial number four batting spot. Captain Virat Kohli had even publicly earmarked him for the role. So, when the squad was announced, his omission in favour of all-rounder Vijay Shankar sent shockwaves through the cricket community. The justification from chief selector MSK Prasad was that Shankar brought “three dimensions” to the team—batting, bowling, and fielding. Rayudu’s response became legendary. He posted a sarcastic tweet: “Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup.” The tweet went viral, perfectly capturing the frustration of a player who felt unjustly overlooked after being promised a key role. The controversy highlighted the often-brutal nature of last-minute selection changes.
A Hitman Left Behind: Rohit Sharma and the 2011 World Cup
It’s hard to imagine now, but Rohit Sharma, the man who would later score five centuries in a single World Cup, was left out of the victorious 2011 squad. At the time, Sharma was a supremely talented but inconsistent young player. The selectors opted for others, including Piyush Chawla, a decision reportedly pushed by captain MS Dhoni. Watching India lift the trophy at his home ground, the Wankhede Stadium, was a moment Sharma later described as the saddest of his career. However, he also admitted that his own inconsistent performances were to blame. This snub is often cited as the turning point in his career. It fueled a new determination, transforming him from a fringe player into one of the world's most dominant white-ball batsmen, making this a controversy that ultimately had a positive, career-defining outcome.
The Triple Centurion's Disappearance: The Karun Nair Story
Scoring a triple century in Test cricket is a monumental achievement. Karun Nair became only the second Indian batsman, after Virender Sehwag, to do so when he scored an unbeaten 303 against England in 2016. It was only his third Test match. Logic suggested he had cemented his place in the middle order for the foreseeable future. Instead, his career took a puzzling turn. He was dropped for the very next Test to make way for the returning Ajinkya Rahane. Though he played a few more games, his scores were modest, and he was soon out of the national team setup entirely. Nair later expressed his confusion, stating he was never given a clear reason for being sidelined after such a historic performance. His case remains one of Indian cricket's most perplexing “what if” stories.
The Unthinkable Dropping: When Kapil Dev Was Axed
In 1984, dropping Kapil Dev was akin to dropping your main weapon before a battle. Yet, it happened. During a Test series against England, captain Sunil Gavaskar and the selection committee dropped the star all-rounder for the Kolkata Test. The official reason was disciplinary; Dev had played a rash shot in the previous Test in Delhi, which was seen as contributing to India's loss. The move created a massive uproar, with many suspecting it was a result of a power struggle between India's two biggest stars, Gavaskar and Dev. The Eden Gardens crowd was vocally displeased. Gavaskar has since maintained that he did not propose dropping his “only match-winner” and that the decision came from another selector, but the incident remains a contentious point in the history of two of India's greatest cricketers.
