Greg Chappell, the coach of the Indian cricket team, will not be seeking an extension of his contract, which expired at the end of the World Cup. Chappell informed the board president of his decision on Wednesday, citing “family and personal reasons.”
Cricinfo staff04-Apr-2007
|
|
|
April 2005India’s captain Sourav Ganguly is in favour of Greg Chappell,
the former Australian great, taking on the job of Indian coach following
John Wright’s imminent departure.May 2005Chappell is chosen as India’s
new coach amid tremendous media hype. A committee comprising Sunil
Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan choose Chappell over
Tom Moody, Mohinder Amarnath and Desmond Haynes. Chappell says that
‘commitment to excellence’ will be his watchword.May 2005Two days after being appointed as coach, Chappell suggested that
helping Sachin Tendulkar regain his form would be one of his priorities in
the job.July 2005Ganguly says that Chappell, the new coach of the Indian
team, would get the full
support of all the players. Ganguly said that it was unfair to compare
Chappell with his predecessor, John Wright, who had shared a fruitful
partnership with the captain.September 2005
The infamous Ganguly-Chappell spat erupts. Ganguly goes
public with his dismay at Chappell’s suggestions during the match that he
step down from the captaincy. Chappell is not amused, maintaining that the
Indian captain asked him for his honest opinion on his form and leadership
in a private meeting between the two. Forty-eight hours after saying that
he respected the Indian captain and looked forward to working with him in
the future, Chappell fires off a damning memorandum to the BCCI.September 2005The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) brokers what is widely perceived as an uneasy
truce between Chappell and Ganguly following a high profile,
closed-door meeting of the committee that lasted four hours.
|
|
|
November 2005Sensational television
footage captures Chappell, India’s coach, making an obscene
finger gesture to a crowd of protestors while boarding the team bus in
Kolkata. This was before the India-South Africa ODI in the city. He was subsequently censured by the board.February 2006Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling action comes under the spotlight following comments reportedly made by
Chappell. “There is something seriously different about it [Shoaib’s
action],” he is quoted as saying.March 2006Chappell tells London-based newspaper that captaincy
was utterly important to Ganguly’s life and finances. It creates ripples
in the media. Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, announces that the
BCCI wants to “close the
chapter” on the controversial comments by Chappell on Ganguly.
“Chappell admitted during the meeting that it had been a mistake on his
part to have suggested that,” says Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, who
also attended the meeting.May 2006India win the first ODI against West Indies in the five-match series and
Chappell is asked the difference between the two sides. He mentions that West
Indies struggle in pressure situations and adds, “That’s probably
because West Indies have forgotten how to win.” West Indies go on to win
the series 4-1 and Brian Lara, their captain, admits that Chappell’s “sly
remark” spurred them on.November 2006Ganguly says that Chappell’s coaching philosophy may not work in India. “They
are saying process is more important than the results. I don’t know how
long it will work in India.”January 2007Chappell is slapped on the
back by an enraged fan as complete chaos enveloped the Indian team’s arrival at
Bhubaneshwar airport for the second ODI against West Indies. Activists of
the Kalinga Kamgar Sena, a fringe political outfit in Orissa, mingled with
the enthusiastic fans waiting for the team and started shouting slogans
against the selection.January 2007Chappell reiterates that his face-off with Ganguly was
never a battle between two personalities but merely a cricketing issue
that was blown out of proportion. This is in the wake of Ganguly’s return
to the Test side in South Africa. “I look at it as one of my success
stories,” says Chappell.
“He has resurrected his batting and could play another three years for
India, which is fantastic. The only way he could address certain issues
was to spend some time away reassessing all of his goals and ambitions.
Somebody had to tell him that.”February 2007Chappell says he “wasn’t
surprised” with Ganguly’s remarkable comeback into the Indian team, adding
that the timing of his exclusion, when he was dropped in September 2005,
had allowed Ganguly to return in time for the World Cup.March 2007Chappell appears in what was probably his most volatile press conference in
the job after India were ousted from the World Cup in the first round. “In
light of recent events,” he said, referring to the Bob Woolmer murder, “I
am not going to be making any comments about what’s wrong with anything or
anybody.”April 2007Speculation is rife about Chappell’s future. Chappell, it is reported, was unhappy
with the behaviour of the seniors during the World Cup. The players, on
the other hand, seem to be unhappy with Chappell for creating a sense of
insecurity in the team.April 2007Sachin Tendulkar reveals that India’s cricketers would be most disappointed with
Chappell, the coach, if he questioned their attitude.April 2007Chappell will not be
seeking an extension of his contract, which expired at the end of the
World Cup. Chappell informed the board president of his decision, citing
“family and personal reasons.”
