Sourav Ganguly, a game-changing former captain of India and current president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, spoke to Khayati, wife of the ailing Jacob Martin, on Monday.

The Sourav-Khayati conversation was facilitated by Sanjay Patel, former secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Baroda Cricket Association, who has taken the lead in appealing for funds to meet the exceedingly high cost of treatment of accident victim Martin.

Sourav went beyond mere words and effected a bank transfer in Martin’s favour during the course of the day.

“I have conveyed to Mrs Martin that she shouldn’t hesitate to contact me if further assistance is required,” Sourav told The Telegraph.

Even though Martin played 10 ODIs (under Sourav, his first India captain, and Sachin Tendulkar), the Board has done nothing except release a paltry Rs 5 lakh from the Benevolent Fund.

That, at least, was the bottom line at 10.30 pm.

In fact, well-placed sources revealed that quite a few former India cricketers are infuriated with the attitude of the Board, which has gladly been spending crores of Rupees in litigation.