Ganguly was India captain during the 2001 Test series against Australia at home.
Former India cricketer-turned-match referee Javagal Srinath has revealed what he would’ve done as an official during the infamous incident at the famous Kolkata Test in the 2001 Test series between India and Australia.
India and Australia clashed in the second Test of the three-match series in Kolkata, with the visitors leading 1-0 after a win in Mumbai. Steve Waugh had arrived on time for the toss, but Sourav Ganguly kept him waiting for a few minutes as he had forgotten his blazer and had to go back to get it.
Srinath, who is now a noted match referee, explained that he would have banned Sourav Ganguly for this incident if he had been officiating the match.
“I would have banned Sourav for a few games,” Srinath said at a panel discussion during the Events and Entertainment Management Association conclave.
However, Srinath commended Ganguly's leadership, especially his ability to develop young players such as Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh. After the match-fixing controversy in the late 1990s, he believed Indian cricket experienced a significant transformation as players became determined to improve the sport's reputation.
He recalled that India had trouble winning overseas between 1991 and 1997–1998, but that things started to improve in 1999.
“There was a bit of a resoluteness in every player to really put that image back and then prove to the world that cricket is superior, cricket is clean,” Srinath said.
Recalling the 2003 World Cup final against Australia, Srinath disclosed that, following a team discussion, he had preferred India to bat first.
“I was one of the guys who said we should always bat first and then put them under pressure,” he said.
However, Ganguly had other ideas and chose to bowl first, with Australia posting 359/2 in 50 overs, with Ricky Ponting scoring an unbeaten century and Damien Martyn making 88*. In response, though Virender Sehwag made 82, India was bowled out for 234 runs and lost the final by 125 runs.