Chappellg on the trials and tribulations of coaching India

Some random thoughts from his experiences coaching India as written in his autobiography.
Most Indians probably regarded him as a shite coach but reading his version which could easily be verified, it doesn't seem to be the easiest gig in the world.

Was interviewed in unorthodox fashion which smacked of lack of organisation and coordination.

Indian media was incomprehensively large and journos used to fabricate stories on a daily basis just to survive.

Ganguly and was anxious and consumed by his own struggle for survival. He had strong political allies and needed to be in the team to satisfy sponsors. Ganguly who was instrumental in Chappell getting hired (he was impressed when Chappell sorted out his technical issues on the previous Aussie tour) then was miffed that he wouldn't be his unconditional backer. He ensured that Chappell wasn't one of the selectors. Chappell wanted Dravid as captain saying that Ganguly needed to clear his mind to save his batting career and he said his tactical sense and on-field captaincy were lacking. Ganguly felt that if he wasn't captain he couldn't control his selection in the side.

The first tour was to Zimbabwe where Ganguly's mood swings fluctuated wildly. Chappell had put in a strong fielding and fitness regimen which the player didn't like. A delegation of players went to Gavaskar in Zim. and asked for Chappell's removal as coach because they were unhappy with the fielding and fitness sessions describing them as too hard.

During the warm-up match Ganguly retired hurt when the second new ball was taken. Chappell said he better go for scans then and Ganguly refused. A couple of the players said privately that this happens all the time. When the new ball danger subsided he sent the 12th man out to ask Kumble to go out or retire but the latter refused. Chappell thought Kumble was the best leader they had and the next one on the horizon after Dravid because he seemed to be the only one passionate about the team, not himself.

Said that Ganguly often agreed with him in meetings and would then take another version to the press or change his mind out in the middle etc. Gangluly leaked to the press that there was a rift between himself and Chappell.

Kiran More had Ganguly removed as captain but this apparently scared the players as they felt none of them were bulletproof and it had a short-term effect on performance.

Chappell said that many of the younger players had good ideas but refused to share them in team meetings because they weren't allowed to speak if Sachin didn't and that senior players would hold it against you forever if you said something they didn't like. The dressingroom was very hierarchial and each player was protecting their own individual endorsement deals which were strongly tied to them being in the test and/or ODI team. When Ganguly's form was down he was a sullen and heavy presence in the changeroom. Ganguly used to lobby and have photos of himself strategically placed to keep him in the spotlight and garner people from Kolkata against him. The politicians and administrators had Ganguly reinstated after some complicated ducks and drakes.

Described Sehwag (described as likeable scallywag giving only 50% of his talent) and Zaheer as being very lax in attitude. Wanted Sehwag and later Sachin to bat in the middle-overs for the 2007 WC where he thought it would be crucial to acclerate on low and slow pitches. Neither wanted to. He regrets falling out with Sachin over the batting #4 in ODIs issues for West Indies pitches, as Sachin had told him several times that his advice re. his batting had been the most valuable he'd ever received. Let slip btw that Sachin told him he virtually had no friends in India. Both Sehwag and Sachin were affronted when he asked more of them and Dravid later told him that they'd never been spoken to like that before.

He said he should have let the senior players know that while he was an agent of change, they were still part of the test future. His main criticism of himself was that he was impatient for improvement across the board and nothing was going to happen quickly. Said that things that had only happened once of twice in his career with Australia occurred in the dressingroom on a daily basis in Indian teams.

On balance though has fond memories of his time with the team and coaching and working within the Rajasthan structure etc.

Said the message he tried to impart in India was that the country should be setting its ambitions higher, that dominating cricket for one tournament or series is not enough and that talent can only get you so far.

Coincidentally, Chappelli has written a piece today decrying the players' performance and releasing Fletcher from the blame for the debacle.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/blame-players-says-chappell-20120129-1qo07.html
Tendulkar came to Australia seeking to become the first player to score 100 international centuries, but the milestone has still eluded the 38-year-old.

Chappell says the obsession surrounding the record has not helped India's momentum.

''The star system is well and truly ingrained in the Indian team and things won't improve, certainly not on the overseas Test match front, until this is changed,'' Chappell said yesterday in the Hindustan Times. ''The problem is that the star system is part of India's general culture and it's going to be difficult to change the approach in the cricket team.

''The average Indian fan is satisfied if Tendulkar scores a hundred but the team loses.

''India … needs to become a group of cricketers who perform as a team. It doesn't help when a number of those individually bright stars are playing for their own survival.

''Recent successes in all forms of the game has led to sloppy habits instead of a work and thought ethic that will bring prolonged success.

''Australia has played hard, competitive and smart cricket while India has just capitulated.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/blame-players-says-chappell-20120129-1qo07.html#ixzz1kuYuU5X3

Chappell's ideas were right, but he was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop about going about implementing them. It was always going to end in tears when he openly criticised the senior players in front of everyone.

Re Ganguly- The ironic thing is that out of all the senior Indian players, he was the one who timed his retirement the best.

Why would Sachin bat down the order in JAMODIs - opening is the easiest job in world cricket.

Agree Henry and he admitted as much himself.

He also admitted that his communication modus operandi was a problem when he was captain of Australia. The guy who wrote the foreword said that mediocrity bores him and it seems that he has a low tolerance threshold.

On English matters he commented that Brearley was necessary at the time, as apart from his captaincy skills he was the only person who could manage Botham and Brearley in the same dressingroom.

While effusively praising Kim Hughes, he basically also says that he was an unstable personality who was unsuited to captaincy.

Obviously wasn't praiseworthy of Dyson either. He described him as a very slow batsman and told him one day after a man had suffered a heart attack while he was batting, that " his batting had finally bored someone to death".

Also commented that he feels the players train a lot today but often of lower intensity than in previous eras because semi-professionals had to maximise their training time so they simulate match conditions during their practice.

And he feels that the central contract system has creates systemic problems in Aussie cricket which leads to the antithesis of risk-taking which has always produced Aussie champions. Everybody is too worried about losing their contracts to be adventurous, they want to survive a la the county system mentality that was so long the downfall of English cricket.

His selection philosophy is that stats alone shouldn't govern selection but the potential champions should be advanced quickly (regardless of stats) to maximise their time at the top level even if means they get dropped early and learn from it. He feels that Gilly and Hussey were kept back too long. But also believes that you have to have the balance of youth and experience to nurture the former.

"... mediocrity bores him and it seems that he has a low tolerance threshold."

WTF would he have coached the Barrels ?

I must admit, that was my initial thought!

Both parties are equally to blame. One of the first things Kirsten did was to give credit to Chappell on improving fitness standards in the team. This was surprisingly not very publicised in the media, who made Chappell to be a pantomime villain. That said, this does seem to be a bit of a sook by him. His decision to drop Ganguly was one of the best taken by a coach and that really resurrected a flagging career.

Red wrote:
Tendulkar came to Australia seeking to become the first player to score 100 international centuries, but the milestone has still eluded the 38-year-old.

Chappell says the obsession surrounding the record has not helped India's momentum.

''The star system is well and truly ingrained in the Indian team and things won't improve, certainly not on the overseas Test match front, until this is changed,'' Chappell said yesterday in the Hindustan Times. ''The problem is that the star system is part of India's general culture and it's going to be difficult to change the approach in the cricket team.

''The average Indian fan is satisfied if Tendulkar scores a hundred but the team loses.

Yes, but that's not true. Indian fans do place too much importance on personal records but saying they do not care if the team loses is way way off target.

It doesn't read as a sook, just as a frank account of a rather turbulent time.

I wouldn't mind either way, the grief the Indian media has given him is far too much.

Red wrote:On English matters he commented that Brearley was necessary at the time, as apart from his captaincy skills he was the only person who could manage Botham and Brearley in the same dressingroom.

That would be Brearley the bowler?

Meant Botham and Boycott.

Of course you did

Hmmm, interesting, Red. Just confirms what everyone has said before.

chappell is a failure as a coach, besides being a qunt?

the bcci is unprofessional, besides being full of qunts?

yeah. shock. horror