INDIAN CRICKET GETS GREG CHAPPELL
The best thing to have happened to Indian Cricket, thanks to the selection committee of the BCCI, is to have appointed GREG CHAPPELL as the coach of the Indian Cricket Team.
THE JOB
Probably one of the most difficult jobs going around in India is that of the Cricket Coach. Millions of Indians follow the game, millions play it, and the game is under intense scrutiny by the media all the time.
When India wins on home grounds, the entire country reverberates with crackers and joy. When India loses the entire nation slips into despondency. Add to this the millions of dollars sunk in by sponsors of the tournaments, and we get to understand why the job of India’s Cricket Coach is so very difficult.
GREG Vs JOHN
John Wright, the ex-coach, was very media shy, liked to work from behind the scenes, was some sort of an introvert. He never crossed wires against the BCCI bosses. Yet he did superbly well as India’s cricket coach.
Greg on the other hand is a very high profile man, is very verbose, sounds confident and comes out as a very professional and no nonsense man.
He will cross wires with the established cricketers, the BCCI establishment, the media and anyone who crosses his path in building up a Cricket team as he envisions. Australians by nature are extroverts and have a great zest for life.
Indian players are in for some very tough times under Greg. He will not suffer fools easily, be they cricketers, selectors or big shots of the BCCI. He made this amply clear during his very first press conference after being selected as the Coach.
WILL HE SUCCEED?
Will Greg be able to transform the Indian Cricket team? This is a very difficult task.
India fared very well against Pakistan in Pakistan and against Australia in Australia. But the two series after that, particularly against Pakistan in India, the same team virtually caved in and lost out to Pakistan.
The major problems for Greg are the senior players whose form is indifferent.
Sachin Tendulkar: This man is still treated as GOD, no matter what his form. Greg should be given a long rope and be willing to drop Sachin if he fails to perform with the bat. Besides, his injury problems continue despite the best medical treatment over the last three years.
Saurav Ganguly: He has sacked himself out of the team for the time being. He should be asked to work his way up the Ranji and Duleep tournaments and shown no preference for his past performance. Greg has a very soft corner for Saurav and may well succeed in pulling him out of the rut.
Anil Kumble: Though a main strike bowler, he cannot continue for long. He is aging
Harbhajan Singh: A great spinner, but his bowling action may strike him out of international cricket.
Greg has rightly said that he will take a hard look at young cricketers outside the loop of the present team and coach them too, so as to get a good team going with a mix of the new and old, over the next two years.
Given a free hand by the selectors and supported by the BCCI, a transformed Indian Cricket team is a near certainty under Greg Chappell.
Fortunately, the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Kiran More has stated publicly that they will work with Greg on this count.