'It is between the coach and me' - Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly: will he survive this messy episode? © Getty Images

Sourav Ganguly has said the spat with coach Greg Chappell should stay between the two men and should not be allowed to drag down the team ahead of a busy international schedule.

"I don't think the entire team should be dragged into this," Ganguly said on Saturday after the team's return from Zimbabwe where his side won 2-0 to post their first Test series win outside the sub-continent since 1986. "It was some statement made by the coach. It is between the coach and me and we have to sort it out. I do not think the rest of the boys need to be pulled into this. For us, it was important winning the two Tests and we won them convincingly."

Ganguly declined to comment on the coach's e-mail, saying it was a "sensitive issue". "I do not want to talk about this issue. Yes, I am aware of it (the email). I will talk to the board on the issue if they ask me. It is a sensitive issue at the present moment and I do not want to say anything to stir it up again."

Ganguly said it was important for the team to perform well in coming months and it did not matter who the captain or coach was. "It is important that the team does well regardless of whoever leads it or coaches it. The team is more important than individuals. We need to play good, hard cricket as we will be facing very good teams. We will be playing Sri Lanka at home, then tour Pakistan and play England at home before going to the West Indies. It is going to be tough and we need to get our act together."

The board will discuss the row at a meeting of the review committee in Mumbai on September 27. The committee includes Jagmohan Dalmiya, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, current BCCI president, S K Nair, board secretary, apart from the three former captains: Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan.