Sourav is a kid: Dalmiya

Sourav Ganguly's allegation that his faction had leaked Greg Chappell's email to the Board could come up for discussion, says Jagmohan Dalmiya © Getty Images

Dubbing Sourav Ganguly a "baccha" (kid), Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), today said he was committed to helping all players including Ganguly.

"He is a baccha. It's not right to talk about bacchas," Dalmiya said responding to persistent questions from journalists on whether he would still back Ganguly who had sent an email days before the CAB elections accusing the ruling faction of 'playing' with his career.

As CAB president, Dalmiya said he was committed to help the players of Bengal. "I'll definitely help him. [But] why only Sourav? As president and secretary of BCCI I stood by [Virender] Sehwag during the ball tampering controversy. I also supported Sachin [Tendulkar], Harbhajan [Singh] when the going got tough for them. I have always looked after players. It is a religion for me. And, I cannot compromise on this," he told a media conference in the small hours after defeating Prasun Mukherjee, the Kolkata Police Commissioner .

Asked whether he would fight for Ganguly's return to the Indian team, Dalmiya said "Why not? I've always been optimistic about his return. I've always said that there is a lot of cricket left in him."

Dalmiya said, however, that if the CAB members wanted, there could be a discussion on Ganguly's allegation that his [Dalmiya's] faction had leaked Greg Chappell's email to the Board last September. Chappell's email, containing damning observations about Ganguly as a player and captain, had created a huge controversy.