PTI

Kolkata, Jun 3: Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Thursday alleged that the Sharad Pawar-led board was not meting out justice to Sourav Ganguly, who continued to be excluded from the Indian cricket team.

"Justice is not being meted out to Sourav. No explanation is being given on why he continues to be out of the team. We believe he still has cricket left in him," Dalmiya said.

Expressing his confidence that Ganguly would come back into the team, Dalmiya promised that the left hander would be reinstated in the national squad if his (Dalmiya's) group returned to power in the BCCI.

Asked whether he was suggesting that Ganguly would not be able to find a place in the side so long the present ruling group continued in power, Dalmiya said: "No, I am not suggesting that. I feel he will make a comeback on his own merit."

Dalmiya said he had no problem with Ganguly meeting Pawar from time to time. "I am not bothered if he goes to meet him (Pawar). I also have no problem if he (Ganguly) has to go for such meetings to satisfy somebody's ego."

When it was pointed out that Ganguly was first dropped from the Indian team when his group was in control of the board, Dalmiya said: "He then could not be kept in the team because he had tennis elbow. We had even consulted the board's chief medical consultant Anant Joshi. And it was as per the doctor's advice that Sourav had to be kept out."

Dalmiya said he was not sure whether the same team would have gone to the West Indies had he been at the helm.

In an oblique criticism of BCCI chief Sharad Pawar, Dalmiya said he did not know if the Maratha strongman was aware of his 'discretionary powers in selecting the team for engagements on foreign soil'.

"I have no idea how much he understands about such things. Or may be, he does not want to use such discretionary powers," he said.

On whether he thought that Pawar had little understanding of the game, Dalmiya said "I have no idea. Very rarely do we discuss the game. Our discussion nowadays centres around FIRs and court cases."

Dalmiya has been embroiled in a series of court cases with the BCCI ever since Pawar took over as president late last year by defeating incumbent and Dalmiya nominee RS Mahendra.

BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah had also filed an FIR in Mumbai in March against Dalmiya for alleged misappropriation of funds from the 1996 World Cup account.

Queried if he still considered Pawar as a friend, he said "Well, he is a friend... or may be, he isn't a friend."

Dalmiya said that he did not mind when Pawar started enquiries against him.

"Some people complained about me to him. So, as the board chief, he constituted a probe. That's understandable. But now, even after what the Mumbai High Court and the Supreme Court said on the issue, they (the BCCI) are still harping on the same points."

"It seems they are bent on continuing the enmity with me," he said.

When asked whether he thought that the board would cease to be hostile to him only if he announced his retirement, Dalmiya said "Maybe."