“It’s fictitious”- Sanjay Bangar on his alleged rift with selector Devang Gandhi

Sanjay Bangar’s illustrative journey as India’s batting coach came to an end after the tour of the West Indies. He was there with the national team for the last five years and was replaced by Vikram Rathour. Even as the head coach, Ravi Shastri, along with the fielding coach, R Sridhar, and bowling coach, Bharat Arun, were retained, the axe came down on Bangar.

Later it was learned that he wasn’t happy with his removal by any means. It’s known that he barraged into selector Devang Gandhi’s room even as the interviews of the coaching staff were underway. If reports are to be believed then the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wasn’t happy with the way Bangar carried himself during his tenure with Team India.

No heated argument, says Sanjay Bangar

The instances of indiscipline were brought to the notice of Vinod Rai, the chief of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). In the meantime, Bangar has rubbished all the talks relating to his alleged rift with the selector and said that there wasn’t any heated argument.

“It is fictitious. I had a cordial exchange with him three days after the selection process was over. It was related to my presentation. There was no heated argument,” Bangar, also a former Indian cricketer, was quoted as saying in an interview with Sportstar.

After his endeavour with the national side came to an end, Bangar wished Rathour on his role and also said that he doesn’t have any regrets whatsoever. He joined the team when Duncan Fletcher was the chief coach and he worked under both Shastri and Anil Kumble, who resigned in 2017.

While leaving, Bangar stated that the Indian team boasts off a strong middle-order, especially in Test cricket. He feels that the team has depth in batting owing to contributions from the keeper and the lower order. However, he expressed concerns over India’s opening slots in overseas conditions.

When he came into the national setup, India was ranked number five in Test cricket and he bid goodbye with the team as ICC’s number-one ranked Test team. “We won 30 of 52 Tests and 82 off 122 ODIs. We were consistent (from 2014 to 2019) and beat all countries in their home conditions. I take immense pride in being part of this journey,” he said.

Watch:

5 Indian cricketers who earn more from brands than from their board