India, June 22 -- Former India cricketer VVS Laxman had one of the most decorated careers in international cricket, with numerous stories of his resilience and heroics. Yet, the legendary batter never played a World Cup game. In December 2002, he was removed from the squad for the 2003 ICC tournament and replaced by Dinesh Mongia. Then-captain Sourav Ganguly, the man behind the big call, which even resulted in him arguing with the selectors, opened up on Sunday, clarifying that the decision left Laxman deeply hurt and that he did not speak to him for three months.

The toss-up was always between Laxman and Mongia, even as the latter was not part of the then-ongoing Zimbabwe tour around which the selection meeting occurred. But Laxman's OD...