Ganguly pays back the Aussies in the same coin

Ganguly pays back the Aussies in the same coin
Express News Service

Visakhapatnam, April 2: Another salvo was fired in the ongoing war between the Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly and the visiting Australians today. On the eve of the fourth One-day International to be played at Indira Priyadarsini Stadium, Ganguly said that the Aussies had a ‘‘school boy attitude.’’ He had a dismayed look at the Port Stadium, where the Indian team practiced in the morning, when asked about the present coin controversy and his verbal war with Australian skipper Steve Waugh.

‘‘This issue (controversy) puts him off. I do not know why the Australians are complaining. They are a very good team. I do not know why they drag such small issues.’’

The Indian skipper clearly clarified that he had asked the match referee (Cammie Smith) whether it was heads or tails since it was a new two-rupee coin. But it was interpreted in a different way. ‘‘I will request a simple Indian coin for tomorrow’s match,’’ said Ganguly, who added that since the coin at Indore had Ashok Chakra on one side and a number on the other side. So he was not sure and only clarified with the match referee.

In fact, Ganguly said, referring to the other controversy that he has kept skipper Waugh and match referee waiting, ‘‘I have just stopped bothering about all about these things. Ever since the start of the series, they have been complaining for something or the other.’’

The skipper concluded that, ‘‘We have won the Test series that is all and we are looking to wrap up the One-day series.’’

PTI adds from Sydney: Disagreeing with one another has become almost a habit with Australian skipper Steve Waugh and his Indian counterpart Saurav Ganguly or so it seems going by the latest ’controversial toss incident’.

Steve thinks Ganguly tried to claim the toss even though the coin had come down heads, which was Waugh’s call. Ganguly claims he had merely asked match referee Cammie Smith what the result of the toss had been as it was a “different kind of coin”, writes the Australian media while dealing at length over the controversial issue.

The media wrote Waugh was clearly angered by what he saw as a ruse by his opponent. The Australian version is that Ganguly tried to “hijack the toss, telling Waugh and Smith that India would bat. Smith intervened, telling Ganguly that the toss had been won by Waugh, who elected to bowl.

The captains use a different coin in each match and the standard practice is for Smith to show each captain the coin so that all three are clear as to what constitutes heads and tails.