Greg Chappell’s tenure as India’s head coach is commonly seemed again on with a polarising lens. The Australian’s extremely publicised spat with then-captain Sourav Ganguly, which adopted a change in management and Ganguly’s unceremonious ouster from the facet, drew important fan backlash for Chappell. Whereas India nonetheless produced spectacular performances throughout his tenure, it was all overshadowed when his crew was shockingly knocked out within the group levels of the 2007 ODI World Cup, dropping to Bangladesh within the event’s opener.
Whereas a bunch of former cricketers throughout the time have since spoken negatively about Chappell, there are just a few who not solely commend his abilities as a coach but additionally sympathise with the Aussie. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan is one among them. Irfan’s profession rose beneath Chappell, with the participant not simply being a daily fixture within the XI but additionally being promoted to batting roles greater within the order.
Throughout a chat with TheLallantop, Irfan defined why Chappell’s strict persona and his strict teaching strategy did not sit properly with the Indian cricketing “tradition.”
“He had his means of treating seniors and juniors with the identical respect. However in that, he could be a bit extra aggressive than one would love. He would inform anybody that if they do not carry out, they are going to be dropped. I realised it was too aggressive, and as soon as I talked to him privately about it,” Irfan started.
“I instructed him that we already know what you retain saying about being dropped. You needn’t inform us. It’s inflicting insecurity within the crew. He checked out me for some time, received a bit upset and threw some choicest of phrases, however then he realised I used to be proper,” stated Irfan.
Irfan offered a hypothetical instance, explaining how it is vital for coaches to “settle for” the tradition, notably when they’re coming from a distinct nation.
“If I’m going to Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or England as a coach, and if I do not settle for their tradition, would their gamers settle for me? Greg Chappell’s intention was proper, however he needed to convey an Australian tradition. He needed us to play exhausting cricket and did not care what background anybody got here from. However you possibly can definitely do it in a a lot better means,” stated Irfan.
Irfan’s instance of taking part in in England
The previous all-rounder additional spoke about his County stint in England, the place he represented Middlesex.
“I performed for Middlesex County membership. You play a four-day match, then you definately drive the subsequent day. They collect everybody in a bar earlier than the match. I do not drink, however I would like to just accept their tradition. You might be part of the crew, and that you must mix in. If Chappell hadn’t missed that one factor, he would’ve been among the best coaches,” stated Irfan.
