Javagal Srinath has reflected on a controversial moment from the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series involving Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and Australian skipper Steve Waugh at Eden Gardens. The incident centred on Ganguly’s late arrival for the toss, which was regarded as an act of gamesmanship that unsettled Waugh and the Australian team during a series that India won 2-1.
Speaking recently, Srinath offered his perspective on what action he would have taken had he been the match referee at the time. According to Srinath, the delay warranted disciplinary measures.
“I would have banned Sourav for a few games,” Srinath was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
Srinath also praised Ganguly’s leadership qualities during his tenure as India captain. The former pacer highlighted Ganguly’s role in developing young talent who would go on to become key players for India. Srinath noted that Ganguly worked with emerging cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag, who later became integral to the Indian team’s success in subsequent years.
Indian cricket’s resolve after the match-fixing era
Beyond the toss incident, Srinath reflected on the broader context of Indian cricket during that period. He observed that the sport underwent significant change following the match-fixing controversies of the late 1990s. Players across the team developed a shared determination to restore cricket’s integrity and demonstrate to the world that the game remained clean and untainted.
“There was a bit of a resoluteness in each and every player to really put that image back and then prove to the world that cricket is superior, cricket is clean,” Srinath said.
He recalled recommending Zaheer Khan to selector Chandu Borde after watching the left-arm pacer claim six wickets against Air India while representing the MRF Pace Foundation. When Borde jokingly asked what would happen to Javagal Srinath if Zaheer was selected, his response was straightforward:
“If he’s good, he replaces me,” Srinath concluded.
Jawagal Srinath remains one of the most complete pacers Indian cricket has ever produced.
Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:
