'Greg Chappell wanted to introduce Australian culture in the Indian team' - Sandeep Patil weighs in on former India coaches in autobiography

Sandeep Patil's autobiography 'Beyond Boundaries' was released in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 6. In the book, the 1983 World Cup winner shared his views about some of India's coaches since the John Wright era.

The former chairman of selectors, Patil, asserted that Wright's method of giving independence to his players led to his successful coaching stint with the Indian team, something his more domineering successors like Greg Chappell and Anil Kumble failed to replicate.

"Since 2000, India have had an array of international coaches and support staff. This has paid rich dividends, because India's overseas record has improved steadily. It all started with John Wright becoming India's first foreign coach," Patil wrote in his book.

"I think John was the ideal coach for India. He was soft spoken, polite, well-mannered, always kept to himself, and was happy to be in Sourav Ganguly's shadow. In addition to all that, he kept a distance from the Press. He managed that so well, that he was hardly in the news, unlike what happened in the Greg Chappell years," he added.

With Chappell, he was in the news every day: Sandeep Patil

Patil feels that Chappell didn't try to understand the thought process of the BCCI board members, the President, and the Secretary. The former Australian cricketer, according to Patil, couldn't establish a good relationship with the captain and the other members of the Indian team.

"With Chappell, he was in the news every day. It is very important for a coach to first understand the policy of that particular board, the thinking of the board members, and the President. He should have a good rapport with the President and the Secretary, and of course the captain and the team. John did that wonderfully," Patil wrote.

"...during his tenure, there was no 'seniors' and juniors' business. It was one team. He believed all seniors were leaders in some way, He gave them respect, and a free hand, which l feel Anil Kumble didn't do. Greg Chappell too," he added.

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Patil said that Chappell wanted to change things from the get-go instead of learning about the system in India. However, Wright was exactly the opposite, as he took his time to understand how Indian cricket operated.

"Greg is a very strong personality; very aggressive. The moment Jagmohan Dalmiya said you have a free hand, he thought that he can change everything overnight. John waited, and learnt the system. Greg wanted to change the entire system, the entire thinking, and the selection process," Patil elaborated.

"He introduced flexibility in the Indian team, and he spoiled things for Rahul Dravid, who took over from Ganguly as captain. Irfan (Pathan) was asked to move up the order. Seniors don't like to change numbers, whether it is Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid, or Virender Sehwag," the 68-year-old added.

After Wright guided the Indian team to the finals of the ODI World Cup in 2003, it was expected that under Chappell's coaching, the Men in Blue would build on that performance. However, they suffered an embarrassment in the ODI World Cup in 2007 as they were ousted in the group stage following defeats to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Wright coached India in 182 matches, helping the team win 89 of them. Meanwhile, under Chappell, India won 40 out of the 81 matches they played. Kumble's tenure as the Indian head coach was the shortest among the three and the Men in Blue won 22 out of the 35 matches during his reign.