Chappell, the man.

I have stayed silent for too long on the Ganguly-Chappell issue. I have been a huge fan of Ganguly over the years and this controversy almost shook my faith in the man. But the recent set of comments from Chappell has made me see the controversy in a whole new way.

Everybody knows the root of the controversy and I will not get there. I just want to make the point that the timing on Chappell’s part couldn’t have been worse. To ask a captain to step down on the eve of a match, whatever the reasons, is a bad idea. It only introduces confusion and fear in the team. It would have probably shaken the self-belief of an ordinary man. But Ganguly replied with a century. That he made the announcement to the press after his century was as bad a timing on his part.

The letter by Chappell (and that it was leaked) left a really bad taste in the mouth of the Indian cricket fans. Chappell pushed an Indian Idol over the ledge. But I thought that maybe this man had Indian cricket on his mind when he wrote that letter. Ganguly does have an attitude. Though this has made him the man he is, it could sometimes prove to be a deterrent to the team. But Chappell’s comments to The Guardian has put things in perspective.

Since Ganguly has been kicked out of the team, there have been no comments from him on the controversy. Though the selectors have been treating him like they did on his debut, he has only plugged on, with his bat doing all the talking. Though he has not been scoring centuries in every inning, he has been scoring runs and forming partnerships whenever India has needed one. He has not gone to papers saying that he is not being selected because Chappell has taken on the role of a sixth selector, though that is what seems to be the truth.

On the other hand, Chappell has been using every bit of media space to continue his vendetta against Ganguly. He has been successful in destroying Ganguly the player, the team man and the captain. Now he seems to be hell bent on destroying Ganguly, the person. If Ganguly had been interested in making money, I am sure we wouldn’t be reaching the World Cup finals or winning test matches in Australia. We will also not be seeing players with no background and pure talent making it to the Indian team and staying long enough to prove their mettle. He could well be taking money from local state boards and sons of rich cricketers to get their players and sons into the Indian team. That the current head of the selection committee was once accused of the same is a subject of another discussion. That Ganguly took over when Indian cricket was mired in the match-fixing controversy and Tendulkar has failed as a captain is further proof of the inner strength of this man.

I believe that Chappell is still afraid of Ganguly, the person. He still seems to be insecure with Ganguly around. If his claims of Ganguly playing Wright are true, what seems to be happening right now is that Chappell is playing Dravid. Though every critic seems to make it a point to mention that Dravid has proved to be an aggressive captain, that everyone has the same opinion somehow makes it sound too shallow. Though Dravid has proved himself to be a very determined cricketer, he misses the flair that Ganguly possessed. The juggling of the batting order and making the batting line-up is more of Chappell’s idea than Dravid’s. That we have succeeded is because of players like Pathan and Dhoni and not because of mere ideas. Two years ago, we did not have such players to warrant experimentation. The idea of using Dravid as a keeper was as brilliant as the ones Chappell seems to be introducing these days. Also Chappell has completely pushed the bowling skills of Sehwag and Yuvraj to the back. So it is not as if Chappell is error-free.

To me, the coach is someone who helps hone the skills of cricketers and helps the captain fine tune his strategies. The picking of the squad should be left to the selectors and the final team to the captain. A coach who wishes to do everything could prove to be more of a deterrent than a catapult for the team in the long run. For me this controversy goes beyond just Ganguly. With Chappell’s consistent anti-Ganguly stand, it can be seen clearly that any player falling off terms with the coach could be kicked out of the team the next day and end up worse than Ganguly. Does this mean sucking up to the great coach is the only way of securing a place in the team? Is that why Gambir, Balaji, Zaheer and Nehra are not being considered these days? Should the Indian media now end articles on Indian cricket with a Heil Chappell?

If the board does not see Chappell as the man he really is, I believe that is where we are headed.