The 2002 edition of the Champions Trophy final witnessed a fight break out between India skipper Sourav Ganguly and Sri Lankan all-rounder Russell Arnold. So much so, that the umpires had to intervene. Recently, former cricketer, Kumar Sangakkara recalled the incident and revealed how Ganguly came to their dressing room and asked them not to make it a big issue.
Sangakkara was part of that team in 2002, guarding the wickets. He further went on to play a bigger role for Sri Lanka in the coming years and finished as one of the greatest to play for their country.
Appearing on the Star Sports’s show Cricket connected, Kumar Sangakkara revealed how Sourav Ganguly entered the dressing room after the match as he was on the verge of a suspension for the verbal spat with Russell Arnold. But in the end, the Sri Lankan team assured him that they aren’t going to escalate the situation any further.
Sourav Ganguly was a practical man – Kumar Sangakkara
“I remember one very specific incident in a one-day match where he was having this big argument with Russel Arnold. I think Dada was on his final warning and the umpire reported him, Dada came to our dressing room and had a chat to us that if this goes the whole distance, he was going to get suspended. And we told him not to worry and that we were not going to make a big deal about it and he was going to be okay,” Sangakkara said.
Kumar Sangakkara also spoke about his relationship with Sourav Ganguly over the years. He revealed how he has really enjoyed talking to ‘Dada’ who is now the current BCCI President.
“I did get to know Dada quite well over the years and I really enjoyed speaking to Dada on everything, whether it was about playing cricket or captaincy. I got to know Dada a lot more intimately,” Sangakkara said.
Talking more about Ganguly, Sangakkara said that he was a very practical man. He also pointed out that Ganguly always understood how far he should go on the field. On the other hand, He also loved having conversations with Ganguly at meals as for him he was a very nice person as described.
“Dada was a very practical man. He understood exactly what he could and how far he could push it on the field. But off the field, he is a fantastic guy. I have had a great time in conversations with him at various times over meals and he was a guy I really respected both on and off the field,” he added.
