I made a mistake saying doors were closed on Ganguly: More

Kolkata, Dec 1 (UNI) Former Chairman of BCCI Selection Committee Kiran More has admitted that it was a 'mistake' on his part to say that doors were closed for Sourav Ganguly.

In an interview to a television channel, More said, ''It was a mistake to say that doors were closed for Sourav Ganguly.'' He made the admission on the same day when Ganguly made his return to the Indian Test team for South Africa, when his immediate successor Dilip Vengsarkar named Ganguly in the Test team.

During his tenure as the Chairman of the selection committee, More on several occasions, had said that the Indian team was taking a 'looking ahead' policy that gave more thrust on youngsters to get the right mix for the world Cup.

But with youngsters like Suresh Raina and Mohammed Kaif not evolving well and South Africa proving to be the lowest ebb of the already faltering Indian Team, Ganguly was brought back for the Test series.

After an outcry to bring back experienced players like Ganguly to the side, the national selectors made the decision to bring back seasoned performers like V V S Laxman, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan to the side.

Talking to UNI on the day of Ganguly's selection, More had said, ''The selection committee has taken a very good decision by taking Sourav. There is no one to lend solidity to the middle order and he would be the right person.'' ''If he can prove himself, he would be right back into the One-day squad,'' he added.

And last night in an interview to 'Times Now', when cricket historian Boria Mazumdar asked him if he owed an apology for stating that doors were closed for the deposed India skipper, More admitted, ''Yes, it was a mistake.'' UNI BA PL PM HS1522