Ganguly’s omission sparks fire among fans
Pawar shocked by Ganguly’s exclusion - Supporters turn on Coach and selectors

KOLKATA—Annoyed at Sourav Ganguly’s exclusion from the Indian Test squad, hundreds of his fans on Thursday blocked trains on the busy Barasat-Bongaon and Dum Dum-Naihati sections of Eastern Railway, disrupting normal services.
The stir caused detention of 18 EMU local trains for about 50 minutes on an average, Railway sources said.
Two pairs of trains had to be cancelled because of the agitation, they said.
Ganguly fans sat on the tracks at Agarpara station on the Eastern Railways Sealdah main section yesterday, which led to the delayed departure of locals trains running on the line.
Police said that the protestors dispersed on their own.
Some fans have reacted angily to the dropping of former captain Sourav Ganguly for the third Test against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, with protests in his home town of Kolkata and throughout the state of West Bengal.
Protestors blocked roads and railway tracks, condemning what they claimed was the injustice of the decision. Effigies of Indian coach Greg Chappell and chief selector Kiran More were burnt and their pictures were garlanded with shoes in Esplanade, a business hub, and elsewhere in the city. Crowds marched through the streets, chanting slogans: “We want Sourav back” and “Chappell, More go to hell”.
Soumitra Chatterjee, hero of many of Satyajit Ray’s films, told a press conference it was the saddest treatment that a national hero had ever received. “It’s an act of treachery to cricket that has polluted sport’s atmosphere,” he said. West Bengal urban development minister, Asoke Bhattacharya, said Ganguly was a victim of the Indian Cricket Board’s politics, arguing: “There is no logic in dropping him after his performance in the Delhi Test”.
Fans were waiting at Kolkata airport when Ganguly returned late on Wednesday and later gathered in front of his house shouting support for him. There were chaotic scenes at the airport, and Ganguly was rushed to a waiting car and sped off.
NEW DELHI: Cricket Board (BCCI) President Sharad Pawar was “surprised and shocked” to learn about Sourav Ganguly’s exclusion from the Indian team and may have a discussion with the selectors on the issue, according to Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) chief IS Bindra.
Denying the hand of senior Board officials in the removal of Ganguly, Bindra said that Pawar got to know the news from the television.
“He learnt it at 7 pm from TV. Then he called me up and asked whether the board President need not be informed before the announcement of the team,” Bindra told NDTV on Thursday.
Bindra said the BCCI chief was surprised and shocked over the way in which the former captain was dropped from the team.
“He was surprised and a bit shocked over the way in which it was done,” Bindra said.
The PCA chief added that Pawar might hold a discussion with the selection committee on the issue.
“He may take up the issue with selection committee,” Bindra said.
Maintaining that board politics is kept away from the selection process of the team, Bindra said that the Bengal left-hander was first dropped when Pawar was not in office.—Agencies