'If I don't want to talk, I'll just go past' - Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly 'no handshake' saga

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 15 created controversy owing to on-field incidents involving Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly. RCB won the game by 23 runs and following the match, Kohli greeted Capitals coach Ricky Ponting but ignored Capitals Director of Cricket Ganguly, who, in turn, ignored the RCB batter. 

The tension between the two Indian stalwarts dates back to the time when Kohli was the captain of Team India and Ganguly was the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It was during Ganguly's tenure as president when Virat resigned from T20Is as skipper and was reportedly forced to give up ODI captaincy.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was asked by ESPNcricinfo how he would handle a situation similar to the one that occurred during the IPL match no. 20 between RCB and DC. Shastri did not mince his words as he talked about the 'no-handshake' saga between Kohli and Ganguly, noting that his actions will be determined by the bond he shares with the next person.

He said that if he does not want to talk, he will simply go past that individual, but after a while, he will see that there is always space for growth.

“Depends on what my relationship is. If I don't want to talk, I'll just go past. But at the end of it, when you go and sit down, you feel that there's always some room to grow up, no matter how old you are,” Shastri said.

Additionally, it was Kohli who unfollowed Ganguly on the social media platform Instagram right after the game against DC. Subsequently, the former BCCI president unfollowed the RCB batter as well. Furthermore, several former cricketers including DC assistant coach Shane Watson have spoken out about the incident and given their views on it.