NEW DELHI, April 21: No breakthrough has yet emerged in Sourav Ganguly deadlock but there are signs which point to ‘a softer approach’ which Indian cricket board is planning on the issue. The house is equally divided within the Board on the matter of pursuing Ganguly’s case with belligerence. While Jagmohan Dalmiya and faction would like to invoke Court of Arbitration in Lousanne, a sizeable section of board would rather have a congenial approach to the issue.

Ganguly’s six-match ban and withholding of it by appeal commissioner of ICC has thrown pigeons among cats, so to speak. The action most likely to be pursued would be an appeal to President of International Cricket Council (ICC) to reduce the ban from six matches to four matches.

This appeal to ICC chief, in this case Ehsan Mani of Pakistan, would be made once the option of going to court is completely closed down. At present, Ganguly’s lawyer, Sidhartha Shankar Ray, is going through 28-page verdict which Belloff, ICC appeals commissioner issued.

Ganguly camp is hopeful once this appeal is made and considered sympathetically by ICC president, left-hander would still be eligible to lead side to triangular series in Sri Lanka, due in July-August of this year.

While this issue hangs in balance there is little headway on appointment of new coach either.

According to board sources, there is little possibility of appointing Dean Jones as coach of Indian team. The main issue going against Jones is his name in CBI report on match-fixing saga of 2001.

According to report, former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar introduced bookie Mukesh Gupta to Dean Jones in Colombo who nearly agreed to proposal before pulling out, stating his career would be in jeopardy.

Another name unlikely to meet BCCI approval is Greg Chappell. The latter, chastened by his first time experience with Indian board in 2000, is determined not to go out of his way to seek Indian coach job.

While Tom Moody and Dave Whatmore have sent in their CVs to Indian board, Chappell’s attitude is he must be approached first for him to consider it positively.

He is not averse to exploring possibility but he would rather have Indian board rake a lead on the matter.

The season might have ended for India but it seems cricket controversies are hardly going to go away in a hurry.—PPI