Sourav Ganguly was fed up, says Srikkanth

New Delhi: Sourav Ganguly was fed up with the uncertainty over his place in the side and decided to end his international career with his head held high, Chairman of selectors Krisnamachari Srikkanth revealed after the former skipper announced his retirement on Tuesday.

"We had a chat in the morning. He (Ganguly) also talked to the coach and the team members. I think he has taken the right decision. Probably he felt every now and then the axe was on him. He felt he wanted to play without such things on his mind," Srikkanth was quoted by agencies as saying.

"Every now and then, the axe was on him and he said to me, 'Chika, let me play once without any pressure'. I pray he scores a lot of runs against Australia and India win the series because guys like Sourav Ganguly deserve to go out on a winning note," Srikkanth added.

Srikkanth was, however, evasive when asked whether the Board had struck a deal with senior players like Ganguly on their retirement.

The new selection committee brought back Ganguly in the team for the first two Tests against Australia after he was left out of Irani Trophy squad.

"Now he can go out with an open mind and play freely to his potential and hopefully do well. He is one of the best captains in the world. He has done so much for cricket and the nation. He deserves so much. Hopefully India will win the series (the four-Test series against Australia)," Srikkanth said.

EX-CRICKETERS BAT FOR GANGULY

Perfect timing has been the hallmark of Sourav Ganguly's batting and the stylish left-hander chose the right time to call it quits, believe former players.

Former captain Bishan Singh Bedi, a bitter Ganguly critic at some point, today hailed the left-hander, calling him a 'legend' of the game.

"I would like to celebrate his retirement, rather than mourn it because of his enormous contribution to Indian cricket. A great player, a legend of the game has hung up his

boots and we all should celebrate his contribution," Bedi was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

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"I'm not surprised since such a possibility was doing the rounds. It looked very much on the cards. I think he thus became a forerunner among the senior players and I hope he went on his own terms," he added.

The spin legend, however, appealed to all to treat senior players with lot more respect.

"We've to deal with them with lot more compassion and respect. Players like Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are great cricketers and should not be ridiculed," he said.

World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev also hailed the decision and said the country was proud of him.

"We all enjoyed his batting and his passion for the game. I would not mourn his retirement but would recall the joy he gave us all with his game.

"I hope he plays a gem of a knock against Australia and makes us proud. We are anyway proud of whatever he has done for the country," Kapil said.

Like Bedi, Kapil also urged everyone not to pressurise senior players and said, "It's a very difficult decision for any player. It's unfair to put pressure on anyone. I don't understand the logic behind this debate on senior players' retirements. Why don't people talk about Board officials' retirement with the same fervour? Nobody knows the pain a player goes through while deciding to quit. I think we should let the great players decide it themselves," Kapil added.

Kapil also felt that Ganguly proved a point by making a successful comeback after being dumped by the then India coach Greg Chappell.

"Outsiders don't understand the feeling of our people, the kind of respect we have for these players. I think that he made a comeback and proved himself all over again made it clear that he should not have been thrown out in the first place. He made a point and proved people wrong," Kapil added.

For ex-India pacer Javagal Srinath, it was a bold decision by his former captain.