Greg Chappell's time as coach was marred by controversies, which led to friction with senior players and a bitter fallout with Sourav Ganguly.
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Former India coach Greg Chappell has stated in his new book that Sourav Ganguly was brought back into the team midway through a tour in 2005 despite opposition from the senior players, reigniting the debate over alleged divides in the dressing room during his controversy-filled years at the helm. After John Wright’s contract expired, Chappell took over as India’s head coach in 2005. His two-year turbulent reign was marred by controversies, which led to reported instances of friction with senior players and a bitter fallout with Ganguly. Since then, Chappell has frequently slammed the former Indian captain, questioning his work ethic and accusing him of being an impediment to the team’s progress.
“One of my early tours was to Sri Lanka [2005] for a triangular one-day series, and [Sourav] Ganguly was unavailable because of a suspension for slow over rates,” Chappell writes in his new book titled ‘Not Out’.
“Jagmohan Dalmiya, the most powerful man in the BCCI at the time, said to me, ‘Greg, would you like Sourav to go on the tour, we can organise it.’ I said, ‘I don’t think we should interfere in the process, plus it’s an opportunity to look at Rahul Dravid and see what options we have.’ Dalmiya was happy enough with that response, and so we went to Sri Lanka without Ganguly.”
The former Australian batsman then claimed that, despite opposition from senior team members, Ganguly was recalled midway through the tour. “The team was a different place without Ganguly, but he became available again midway through the tour. I sat down with some of the senior players and asked whether they wanted him back, and they said ‘no we don’t’, but the selectors brought him back,” Chappell wrote.
Most recently, Chappell stated that he became coach because of Ganguly and that he left because internal team resistance became too much after the former Indian skipper returned to the team.
Speaking on the Cricket Life Stories podcast, Chappell said, “Ganguly was the one who approached me about coaching India. I had other approaches but I decided that since John Buchanan was coaching Australia… I would love to coach the most populous, fanatical cricket country in the world, and that opportunity came about because Sourav, who was the captain, made sure that I did.”
“The two years in India were challenging on every front. The expectations were ridiculous. Some of the issues were around Sourav being captain. He didn’t particularly want to work hard. He didn’t want to improve his cricket. He just wanted to be in the team as captain, so that he could control things,” he added.
Later, at a book launch event, Ganguly admitted that he had made a mistake in suggesting Chappell’s name for the role. “I once had an opportunity to select the coach. I thought I messed it up in 2005. I’m given that opportunity again. Hopefully, we will do it correctly this time, whoever it is… Luckily, I have got support in Sachin, VVS, the BCCI secretary and president. Together we will pick the right person,” the former Indian skipper said.
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