Chappell reaffirms Broad’s allegations, recalls offer from Dalmiya
Amid renewed scrutiny of the BCCI’s historical influence over ICC match proceedings, former India coach Greg Chappell has backed former ICC match referee Chris Broad’s claims that he was pressured to be lenient toward then-captain Sourav Ganguly during over-rate infractions.
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Chappell recalled that at the start of his tenure as India coach in 2005, former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya offered to help reduce Ganguly’s suspension.
“Dalmiya offered to have his suspension reduced so that he could go to Sri Lanka at the start of my tenure,” Chappell said.
Chappell, however, stated that he refused to accept the offer, prioritising process over preference. “I said no, I don’t want to rort the system, he has to do his time. Dalmiya seemed OK for him to miss,” he added.
The timing of Chappell’s remarks appears to lend support to Broad’s recollection of events during a controversial series in 2005, where he fined Ganguly for slow over-rate violations. Broad’s version includes being asked to alter his match decisions due to India’s profile and influence.
Broad reveals pressure and politics around Ganguly’s suspension
Speaking to The Telegraph, Broad claimed he was pressured during his tenure to accommodate India’s slow over-rates because of the team’s political weight in global cricket.
“India got all the money and have now taken over the ICC so in many ways. I’m pleased I’m not around because it’s a much more political position now than it ever has been,” Broad said.
Recounting specific incidents, he said, “India were three, four overs down at the end of a game so it constituted a fine. I got a phone call saying, ‘be lenient, find some time because it’s India’. And it’s like, right, OK. So we had to find some time, brought it down below the threshold.”
Broad added that the same scenario repeated in the next game. “The very next game, exactly the same thing happened. He [Sourav Ganguly] didn’t listen to any of the hurry-ups and so I phoned and said, ‘what do you want me to do now?’ and I was told ‘just do him’. So there were politics involved, right from the start. A lot of the guys now are either politically more savvy or just keeping the head below the parapet. I don’t know.”
The over-rate breaches took place during India’s home ODI series against Pakistan in April 2005. Ganguly was suspended for six matches after the Ahmedabad ODI, although the ban was later reduced on appeal. He missed the final two ODIs of the series, with India eventually losing 2-4.
Chappell avoids reigniting Ganguly saga, issues goodwill statement
While Chappell’s quotes have added weight to Broad’s claims, the former coach has made it clear he does not wish to revisit his complicated past with Indian cricket.
“I wish Indian cricket, its highly talented cricketers, and the BCCI well,” Chappell told Cricbuzz, via a statement released through The Chappell Foundation chairman Darshak Mehta.
Asked directly whether he agreed with Broad’s views about India holding too much power in world cricket, Chappell declined to elaborate. “I have no comments to offer,” he said.
His long-time associate Mehta also came to his defence, criticising the media obsession with Chappell’s views on Indian cricket. “This obsession with Greg still flourishes undimmed, 18 years after he resigned as India coach. Every word he says is analysed, dissected and usually twisted for some hidden or imaginary animus against Ganguly,” Mehta said, speaking to Cricbuzz.
While Chappell has largely stayed away from commenting on Indian cricket publicly in recent years, his brief support of Broad’s version has reignited a decades-old debate around cricket governance, power structures, and the lingering legacy of his tenure as India coach.
