PTI
 
Kolkata, Nov 21: Are relations between the Cricket Association of Bengal President Jagmohan Dalmiya and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly on the mend?

That's the question doing the rounds in cricketing circles here after the duo had its first meeting in public nearly four months after the acrimonious CAB elections, where Ganguly had lent his support to the faction opposed to his one-time mentor Dalmiya.

None of the past rancour seemed to be there as the seasoned cricket administrator and the former Indian skipper chatted over a cup of tea and Dalmiya expressed confidence that Ganguly would make his way back into the Indian team on the strength of his playing capabilities.

"Ganguly will be back into the team by dint of his capability. He will return for sure", Dalmiya said, while giving a pep talk to the Bengal team ahead of their Ranji Trophy match in Mohali against Punjab from November 23 to 26.

Dalmiya had taken the first step himself in breaking the ice when he asked Ganguly to sit next to him and the cricketer smilingly obliged.

In a hard-hitting e-mail from London, where he was busy playing county cricket, Ganguly had on July 22 accused the Dalmiya faction of playing with his career and said "people who leak e-mails and sacrifice players' career should be heavily punished".

Ganguly's strong statement, coming only days before the July 30 CAB polls, had created a storm as the group backing presidential challenger and Kolkata police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee made a big show of the support from the ace cricketer.