'I have been vindicated' - Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain who has been accused by Greg Chappell of being unfit to lead the team in a sensational email to the Indian board, has said he has been vindicated as he had done nothing wrong.

Ganguly and Chappell, involved in a public spat which has made headlines since the last few days, had both deposed before a six-member review committee of the board which had hammered out a compromise between the two in Mumbai on Tuesday.

"In a way I feel I have been vindicated because I hadn't done anything wrong," Ganguly told Deccan Herald, a Bangalore-based daily. "The review committee gave me a patient hearing and I put my point of view across to them. I think they were reasonably convinced with my replies and I am very happy the matter has been settled now ... You could say I am happy and relieved in equal parts."

Asked whether it was possible for him and Chappell to work as a team, he said, "I don't see any reason why we cannot. After all, both of us are interested in the welfare of the team and Indian cricket."

He added that there was lot of cricket ahead for the Indian team and it was necessary to forget the past and concentrate on the job at hand. "Whatever happened is in the past I am confident we can come together in the future and work well," he said. "We have a lot of cricket ahead of us starting with the series against Sri Lanka next month. After a break for a couple of weeks it is time for the Challenger series. We need to do well because our record in one-day finals is not great."

Ganguly's future as captain, ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka, is likely to be decided on October 13, when the national selection committee, headed by Kiran More, meet at Mohali, on the final day of the Challenger series. The Press Trust of India quoted a board source who said: "The committee is tentatively scheduled to meet on the 13th evening to choose the Indian skipper. The selectors would meet the next day [Oct 14] to select the rest of the team members."

India and Sri Lanka are scheduled to play a seven-match ODI series commencing at Nagpur on October 25. The senior selection panel is scheduled to meet on October 1 at Delhi to choose the captains and team members of the India Seniors and the India A and B squads for the October 10 to 13 Challenger limited-overs series that will be played under lights.

More is also expected to talk to Sachin Tendulkar, still recuperating from his elbow surgery, about his availability for the tournament. According to board sources, More was in constant touch with Indian team physio John Gloster on the star player's progress on the fitness front.