Kolkata, March 25: Call it an attempt to create an atmosphere of "normality" in the camp, team director John Buchanan and ‘erstwhile’ captain Sourav Ganguly came out in the open with their views and plans for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming IPL season. Despite the efforts of the management to downplay reports of the Ganguly-Buchanan rift with Wednesday’s joint press conference at Eden Gardens, the former Aussie coach’s words and comments were quite indicative of the decline of ‘Dadagiri’ in Team KKR.

Ganguly looked sombre during the 15-minute interaction. Perhaps the Prince of Kolkata could not have imagined what he would be hearing (especially from an Australian) in the city where he is literally worshipped.

"Fixed captaincy isn’t necessary in our side," Buchanan said. "We are keen to look at different aspects of the game. The idea is to look for the knowledge of different individuals at different stages of the game. For instance, when we are fielding, (Brendon) McCullum could lead the side since he gets a better view from behind the wickets and may come up with proper field placements.

"In the Twenty20 format, there’s very little time to adjust. Cricket too is going through a transition which could bring about a lot of changes in future.

In that case, I think this multiple-captain formula will help. Anyhow, we’ll experiment with this formula during our practice sessions as well," Buchanan elaborated.

Dismissing reports of a rift with the ex-India skipper as "completely made up", the Queenslander gave no proper reply when queried about

Ganguly’s availability in all matches for KKR. "It’s not the issue today," was his comment after a detailed elaboration of his ‘rapport’ with the southpaw.

"We had a discussion yesterday and Sourav agreed with what I said. I believe there’s a way to go in 20-over cricket and we’re only looking forward. May be we could ask Sourav to make some key decisions. But certainly, there are no issues between us. It’s just different ways of thinking. In case there’s any conflict, we have to communicate and come back to one point."

In cricket, it’s the captain who carries the cross. So whose responsibility would it be in a team of multiple captains? "It’s me who’ll carry the cross. The formula doesn’t work out and I’m accountable," Buchanan replied.

Having heard what the director said, it was finally Ganguly’s turn to speak. "Had I been in his (Ganguly) shoes, I too would’ve been disappointed with what’s going on. I’m not upset," said Ganguly immediately, raising his hand.

But his body language seemed to portray an entirely different feeling.