I look forward to working with him in the future Greg Chappell (20 September) Feature: Indian soap opera

Chappell sent an e-mail stating Ganguly is not "physically or mentally fit" for the job, according to media reports.

Board president Ranbir Singh Mahendra told the BBC: "I have received an e-mail from Greg but I cannot disclose the details now."

Ganguly has said he was asked to resign before the first Test in Zimbabwe.

But earlier this week Chappell responded by claiming he was seeking to motivate Ganguly after a run of poor form with the bat.

"It is disappointing that what was a private discussion between the captain and myself has become a cause of public speculation.

What is worrying about this spat is the future stability of Indian cricket. Former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath

"Much of what has been written does not represent the discussion fairly," he added.

The issue is likely to be discussed at a meeting in Mumbai next Tuesday when the team's performance since Chappell replaced John Wright as coach is to be reviewed.

Former captains Sunil Gavaskar, Srinivas Venkatraghavan and Ravi Shastri are part of the committee who will look into the matter.

Ganguly was serving a ban, imposed because of persistently slow over-rates during a series in Pakistan, when Chappell first took charge.

And although he returned to action during a one-day competition in Sri Lanka in August, Rahul Dravid continued to lead the side.

"I'm not worried about the captaincy and I'll bat at any position," Ganguly said at the time.

Indian cricket all around is suffering at this time...the damage has been done and it'll take months to get back to normal From WWF Have your say on TMS

But India lost all three games against Sri Lanka during the tour and Ganguly was given the job back when the squad for Zimbabwe was announced.

The dispute is going on against a background of uncertainty about the Board of Control elections, which have now been postponed until November.

The High Court in Calcutta has appointed two former chief justices of India to oversee the election of a new president, but this has been challenged by Mahendra and his supporters.

"We cannot be the servant of the observers," said Jagmohan Dalmiya, patron of the Board and Mahendra's predecessor.

Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar is to stand against Mahendra, having lost out by one vote in last year's election.