Jaipur, may 1: Less than a week after the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth controversy, the IPL witnessed another clash on Thursday with Shane Warne slamming Sourav Ganguly, and the former Indian skipper hitting right back.

“Once again, it was Sourav. And we were made to wait for him,” Warne boomed at the press conference after Rajasthan Royals had beaten Kolkata Knight Riders by 45 runs.

What appeared to have been a routine exchange of words in the middle when Ganguly batted in the latter half, was, in fact, raging fire as the Royals captain was upset that the Kolkata openers had kept his team waiting, taking their time to come in to bat after the break.

Seemingly haunted by Ganguly's keep ‘em waiting-tactics — a dose of which the Aussies famously suffered in their beaten Test series of 2001, Warne further said, “I was very very disappointed with Sourav. They took time to come out and bat. It’s Twenty20, and it’s to be done in an hour and 20 minutes. I went and told him, ‘it’s not about you’, we have to start on time,” Warne recounted what had transpired in between innings.

“Look who’s talking,” Ganguly retorted later. “If you look at his (Warne’s) career and the incidents he got in. it will give you the answer,” he added.

Should’ve walked

What had also irked the Aussie was Ganguly’s referral to the third umpire of a catch that Graeme Smith had claimed at deep mid-wicket (on 49) short of his half-century when Kolkata were chasing the target of 197. “Graeme Smith is an international captain of South Africa. and when he says he’s caught it cleanly, you've got to take his word.

“I’m disappointed that Sourav went to the third umpire for that,” Warne said, defending Smith who is an old bitter foe, now-team mate. Ganguly was given not-out by the third umpire.

Regarding the controversial catch, Ganguly said, “I didn’t know that in cricket, taking a one-drop catch was in the spirit of the game.

“I have a good relationship with Graeme Smith and I have enough respect for him. I don't want to drag him into it. But the things is in cases like this, often the fielder does not realise that he had actually taken a drop catch.”

The former India captain also made it clear that he had not asked the on-field umpire to refer the decision to third umpire, as alleged by Warne.

“I didn’t ask the on-field umpire to refer it. I just told him that I think it was not a clean catch. It was completely the umpire’s decision to seek the third umpire’s help,” Ganguly added.