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| September 27, 2005 | Tuesday | Sha'aban 22, 1426 |
Indian crisis braces for stormy session
NEW DELHI, Sept 26: Indian cricket plunged deeper into turmoil on Monday as players and officials lined up to take sides in the damaging rift between coach Greg Chappell and captain Saurav Ganguly.
A worried Indian cricket chief Ranbir Singh Mahendra tried to impose a gag order amid fears of unbridgeable divisions in the national team.
Mahendra warned players of “serious consequences” if they aired their views after off-spinner Harbhajan Singh announced the team had “developed a sense of insecurity because of the coach’s attitude and double standards.”
Chappell and Ganguly were due to appear before a high-powered panel of the BCCI in Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss the spat that has snowballed into a major crisis.
The BCCI panel includes three former captains, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan besides Mahendra and his powerful predecessor Jagmohan Dalmiya.
It is the same panel which appointed Chappell, the former Australian captain, coach in June for a two-year period till the 2007 World Cup.
Relations between Chappell and Ganguly soured on the recent Zimbabwe tour and culminated in the coach writing a confidential e-mail to the BCCI saying the captain was unfit to lead India.
The 2,334-word e-mail, which was leaked to the media, spoke of Chappell’s distrust of Ganguly seven more than second-placed Azharuddin.
Chappell wrote: “I have serious reservations about the attitude of some players and about Saurav and his ability to take this team to a new high, and none of the things he has done since his reappointment has caused me to change my view.
“In fact, it has only served to confirm that it is time for him to move on and let someone else build their team toward the 2007 World Cup.
“This team has been made to be fearful and distrusting by the rumour mongering and deceit that is Saurav’s modus operandi of divide and rule.
“We have developed parameters of batting, bowling, fielding and captaincy ... and Saurav falls well below the acceptable level in all areas.”
Ganguly reacted to the e-mail saying he also had a lot to say, but would give his side of the story to the BCCI panel.
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell warned the BCCI to expect some tough talking from younger brother Greg on Tuesday.
“If Indian cricket wanted someone who would passionately seek to help players ... would do his utmost to put the best team on the field without fear or favour and would offer a frank opinion when asked, then they were on the right track with Greg Chappell,” Ian wrote in a column for Mumbai’s Mid-Day.
“Greg can be a very patient man, much more diplomatic than either his father or his elder brother. However, if you don’t want to hear the truth, then don’t ask him for a frank opinion.”—AFP
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