Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Raj Singh Dungarpur slammed Jagmohan Dalmiya, saying the BCCI patron masterminds everything and is the reason why the image of Indian cricket has taken a beating in the last few months.
In a press meet in Mumbai on Monday, Dungarpur also claimed that Dalmiya's support gave captain Sourav Ganguly the "license to kill."
"Dalmiya masterminds everything here. It is because of his over protectiveness that Ganguly is taking things for granted. He is the reason why Ganguly has turned into a disastrous young man. He was a far better captain before, but, going by his mental condition, right now it would be for the better of Indian cricket that he steps down," said Dungarpur.
He also alleged that it was possibly Dalmiya who had leaked out Chappell's e-mail to the press.
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"Who else will leak it to a Bengali paper? It has to be Dalmiya or Gautam Dasgupta. But the latter could not have done so without Damliya's instructions on his support."
Terming Tuesday as Indian cricket's "date with destiny", Dungarpur said the BCCI would probably look for a compromise wherein "Ganguly will win and Chappell will lose".
He supported Chappell, who he rates as one of the best batsmen ever, and said the Australian coach had done nothing wrong.
"Chappell came here with a mission. His mission is the 2007 World Cup and he is trying to do his best. He comes from a sports nation and is using his expertise here. Unfortunately, we are not making the most out of it.
"God forbid, if Chappell puts in his papers then no respectable man will take the job for a while," he added.
Dungarpur also revealed that John Wright stepped down as India's coach because of Ganguly and Dalmiya's high-handedness.
"Wright told me 'with those two here I cannot stay'. The coach and captain would sit for an hour and put down a strategy but the captain did not follow it on the field. And John told me it happened a lot of times."
Saying he has no personal grouse against Ganguly, Dungarpur also criticized the India skipper for revealing to the media that he was asked to drop out of the first Test in Zimbabwe.
"The dressing room is the preserve of the team. What happens there should remain private. Sourav had asked Chappell for his views on where he stood as a player and Chappell gave his opinion.
"If Ganguly wanted to tell it out, why didn't he do so before the match? He waited till he got some runs under the belt and then let it out. I can assure you that he would not go to the media about it if he hadn't scored a hundred."
Dungarpur also claimed that the games within the BCCI are having an adverse effect on Rahul Dravid.
"I don't remember when he has got bowled so regularly. It just shows he is low at the moment, and the reason is that he was zipped out as a captain once Ganguly had served that ban and came back into the side."
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's comments in support of Ganguly were unnecessary, Dungarpur said.
"He should be concentrating on his arm right now and not on supporting his captain. A good captain does not need a show of public support."
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