Former ICC match referee Chris Broad has made a shocking disclosure, claiming that Team India was allegedly granted leniency over slow over-rate penalties due to external pressure. Broad, father of England legend Stuart Broad, revealed that he had received phone calls urging him to overlook India’s slow over-rate offences and avoid taking disciplinary action.
Having served as an ICC match referee for more than 20 years (2003–2024), Broad officiated 622 international matches — including 123 Tests, 361 ODIs, and 138 T20Is. Though he didn’t reveal the exact match, he stated that the incident occurred when Sourav Ganguly was India’s captain.
“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. 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’. I dodged a lot of bullets, both politically and physically,” he said in an interview for The Telegraph (via Wisden).
Revisiting Sourav Ganguly’s Era As Team India Captain
Sourav Ganguly stands among India’s most successful cricket captains, leading the national team in 195 matches between 1999 and 2005. During his tenure, India secured 97 victories and suffered 78 defeats across Tests and ODIs. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue lifted their second ICC trophy in the 2002 Champions Trophy, which they shared with hosts Sri Lanka.
Ganguly also guided India to a remarkable campaign in the 2003 ODI World Cup, finishing as runners-up to Australia. His captaincy saw India achieve historic overseas results, including drawing Test series 1-1 in both England and Australia between 2002 and 2004.
Apart from his leadership, Ganguly’s batting prowess was equally noteworthy. He accumulated over 18,000 international runs and scored 38 centuries across 424 matches. With 76 ODI wins and 21 Test victories as captain, he ranks third among Indian skippers for the most wins in both formats.
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