Email Leak Leaves Chappell and Ganguly With Little Hope of Truce

India's coach Greg Chappell is locked in a power struggle with his captain Sourav Ganguly after complaining of his disruptive influence in a leaked report to the Indian Board.

With the rift now looking irreparable, the conflict that broke out on India's tour of Zimbabwe seems bound to end with either Chappell's resignation or the finish of Ganguly's international career.

Chappell, who was appointed in May, is rapidly learning about the perpetual intrigues in Indian cricket. He said he was "extremely disappointed but not entirely surprised" by the leaking of a report in which he reportedly expresses misgivings about Ganguly's form, attitude and behaviour. At the heart of the dispute is the Australian's belief that Ganguly's batting is on the decline and that the man who was responsible for restoring pride to Indian cricket is increasingly committed to shoring up his own position.

Whereas John Wright, Chappell's predecessor, was content to operate in Ganguly's shadow, Chappell's relationship with him has always been tense. The rift became apparent when Ganguly complained that Chappell had abruptly asked him to step down before India's first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo this month. Chappell explained that it was merely an attempt to "motivate" Ganguly and was intended to be "a frank discussion about Indian cricket, present and future".

Ganguly scored his first Test hundred in two years in Bulawayo and a media truce was cobbled together, with Chappell pictured playing pool with his captain - Ganguly, a cerebral, upper-class type, does not much care for pool, unless perhaps he can get a servant to play it for him.

After news of Chappell's critical report, Ganguly told Bengali journalists: "I hope the board will give me a chance to explain. You can imagine the character of a person who within hours of such a truce goes and writes such an email."

Ganguly has never been a particularly loved Indian captain, but he has been a remarkably skilled and effective one - he gave a diffident Indian team the pride and self-belief to challenge Australia as the best in the world. However, his batting ability has always been debated.

His limited work ethic and lapses in punctuality were once signs of his majesty; now they are factors that undermine his right to lead. The Prince of Bengal faces the fight of his career.