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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Sourav Ganguly revealed he ignored Greg Chappell's call to sign a welfare petition for Imran Khan.
- Ganguly cited his bitter past with Chappell, who drafted the petition signed by 14 captains.
- He recalled Chappell's 2011 KKR coaching approach, saying he could not be made a fool twice.
Sourav Ganguly reveals why he ignored Greg Chappell's call to sign Imran Khan's welfare petition
Sourav Ganguly has lifted the lid on his lingering animosity toward Greg Chappell, revealing that he deliberately ignored the Australian's request to sign a petition concerning Imran Khan's welfare. The former India captain made clear that old wounds shaped his decision to stay silent.
The appeal in question was drafted by Chappell and signed by 14 former international captains, including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. It urged the Pakistan government to ensure proper medical care for Imran Khan, the 1992 World Cup-winning captain who has been in custody since 2023.
Ganguly, however, refused to add his name. Speaking candidly, he explained that his refusal had nothing to do with Imran Khan himself and everything to do with the man who came knocking, a coach with whom he shares one of Indian cricket's most infamous fallouts.
The petition for Imran Khan
Delivered to Pakistan's prime minister in February, the open letter expressed deep concern over reports of Imran Khan's deteriorating health in prison, particularly his eyesight. The signatories called for him to be treated with dignity and given immediate, ongoing medical attention from qualified specialists.
Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan's prime minister before his removal in 2022, has been imprisoned since 2023 on charges he and his supporters describe as politically motivated. The petition drew backing from a galaxy of cricketing greats across multiple nations, but pointedly not from Ganguly.
Why Sourav Ganguly stayed silent
For Ganguly, the issue was one of basic trust. "Yes, but I don't answer him. I don't answer people who are not honest," he said on the AddaGB Podcast, making it clear that Chappell's involvement alone was an immediate and absolute dealbreaker for him.
On the matter of integrity, Ganguly was unflinching, saying, "You may have opinions. You may feel that someone is not a good player or an average player, but I don't like people who take the wrong route to solve problems. I like people who tell me to my face that you are not good enough."
The bad blood traces back two decades. Chappell was appointed India's head coach in 2005 with Ganguly's full backing, only for the partnership to collapse spectacularly after the Australian reportedly told the BCCI in writing that Ganguly was unfit to captain, both mentally and physically.
The fallout proved costly for Ganguly, who was stripped of the captaincy, handed to Rahul Dravid, and dropped from the side altogether. Chappell's own tenure ended soon after, with the coach resigning following India's chastening group-stage exit at the 2007 World Cup.
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Fool once, not twice
Ganguly revealed it was not the first time Chappell had reached out. "He had mailed me once earlier as well, in 2011, when I was the captain. He wanted to coach KKR, with me as captain. Would have been brilliant," he said sarcastically of the approach.
His parting verdict gave the headline its bite. "These people must be thinking Dada can't be a fool. I can be a fool once, not twice," Ganguly added, drawing a firm line under a relationship that, two decades on, clearly remains beyond any repair.
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Deepanjan Mitra
Deepanjan Mitra is a content writer and editor based in India, with extensive experience working across a variety of sports. He combines a passion for storytelling with an ability to deliver insightful news, analysis, and feature stories and has previously worked for the likes of Sports Illustrated and Essentially Sports.
Source: Cricketnews.com
