BRISBANE, Australia, 29 November 2003 — Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly yesterday rejected claims he backed out of a deal with Victorian state coach David Hookes before the tourists’ opening clash in Melbourne.
Ganguly dismissed suggestions he and Hookes agreed before the start that each side would declare after 70 overs in the three-day match which ended in a tedious draw Thursday.
Ganguly said his tactics would change little in this weekend’s clash with Queensland Academy of Sport — virtually a Queensland second eleven — starting today.
This will be the last warm-up game before the start of the first of four Tests against world champions Australia Thursday.
Hookes, a former Australian Test batsman, was incensed when India, after winning the toss, batted for 90 overs in their first innings of the Melbourne Cricket Ground encounter. He claimed Ganguly agreed that whoever won the toss would bat for only 70 overs — but then changed his mind after winning it. Hookes accused India of making the three-day match “a glorified net session”, rather than trying to manufacture a result.
But Ganguly labeled Hookes’ comments “incorrect and unfair”.
“I don’t think that is correct,” he said. He gave us an offer, but I said: “We’re playing the first game of a tour, and our batters need a longer hit in the middle.”
Suspended Indian Cricketer Wins Legal Reprieve, Is Allowed to Compete
In New Delhi, the cash-to-play cricket scandal in India took a dramatic twist yesterday when a civil court allowed the suspended Abhijit Kale to resume his playing career. The district court in the western city of Pune upheld Kale’s appeal challenging the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to temporarily suspend the player until a corruption inquiry was over.
“Kale should not be stopped from playing,” Judge V.D. Kulkarni ruled a day after hearing arguments by lawyers from both sides.
