Sourav Ganguly Digs into Greg Chappell; Calls Him Foolish

Sourav Ganguly has mixed reactions when the name Greg Chappell is mentioned. And he did not hold back much even though he used fewer words when the issue of Chappell’s fall out with the Australian cricketers was brought up.

Sourav Ganguly

What was expected to be an easy relationship between the then Indian captain and coach turned into one of the nastiest episodes in Indian cricket, particularly in the last decade. They made no bones of the fact that they did not see eye to eye on issues, the orchestrated photo op by the pool table on the tour of Zimbabwe was more memorable for all the wrong reasons than the tour of Zimbabwe itself.

Ganguly, now a commentator on India’s tour of England, was goaded in the studio to state his opinion of the reports prior to Chappell’s axing based on the Argus report. Some sections of the Australian media reported that some of the Australian cricketers were finding the Australian dressing room suffocating with the presence of the former Indian coach who they said was transgressing the boundaries of his authority. The review into the Ashes defeat, now encapsulated in the Argus report, saw both, Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, and Chappell sacked with greater power transferred into the hands of the Australian captain and coach who will get an opportunity to be on the selection panel.

Chappell did not share a good rapport with the Indian cricket team in the two turbulent years that was appointed as the Indian coach. In many ways, it has been considered that Chappell messed up some of the set up that had worked when John Wright was the coach and Ganguly, the captain. As the relationship deteriorated, Chappell wanted Ganguly out of the team, something the latter vehemently protested.

But it was not only Ganguly that Chappell managed to rub the wrong way. Sachin Tendulkar made no qualms about it although Chappell appeared regretful much later about the handling of Tendulkar. Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh were amongst the handful of players that spoke out about the uncertainty that prevailed in the dressing room which was attested to recently by Zaheer Khan as well. The team perhaps lost the opportunity to groom an all rounder in Irfan Pathan as the price for the torrid affair.

Ganguly was pressed to air his views and he did it in a mild manner but used the word foolish to describe how he thought Chappell went about his business with the Australian cricket team. Ganguly claimed making mistakes once was one thing, but to do it a second time was foolish. He was referring to Ganguly’s handling of the Indian cricket team and thereafter his uneasy relationship with the Australian cricket team although Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, has denied that there is truth to the reports which is not surprising.

Chappell has been a sore subject with reference to Indian cricket and foreign coaches of the Indian cricket team. However, it is also not surprising that not a few people are feeling vindicated to take their stance against Chappell following the publication of these reports. More reasons for Chappell to keep the grimace on his face.