Sourav Ganguly doesn't lead by example: Greg Chappell

Former Australian captain, Greg Chappell had a controversial two-year stint with the Indian team as the head coach. Chappell had a strained relationship with the then Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly which saw the latter being sacked as captain and dropped from the team as well. The Aussie has often in the past said that the Indian team tried to take short-cuts and he was appointed to change it and for that, the skipper had to lead by example, which didn’t happen.

Chappell in his article in The Hindu said, “If they had been blessed to have been surrounded by other selfless individuals whose only aim was to serve the team, the Indian teams in which they played would have been impossible to beat,”

“Too often in the past, Indian teams have tried to take short-cuts rather than work hard so any success has been fleeting.”

“It was something that I was appointed to change, but it needed key players, not least of all the captain (Ganguly), to buy-in and lead by example. Sadly, this didn’t happen until Dravid was appointed and the next 12 months brought some consistent success because of the change at the top,” he added.

This was after Ganguly reopened the past controversy with Chappell, after being handed the responsibility of selecting the new Indian coach along with former teammates Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

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“I once had an opportunity to select the coach. I thought I messed it up in 2005,” Ganguly told Indian media. “I’m given that opportunity again. Hopefully, we will do it correctly this time. Luckily, I have got support in Sachin, VVS, the BCCI secretary and president. Together we will pick the right person.”

Chappell also praised Kumble saying that his courage and hard-working nature are his key qualities and said that he can form a good partnership with Test skipper Virat Kohli to take India forward. He also claimed that an indomitable will was Kumble’s greatest asset and that “he was the heart to Rahul Dravid’s soul” when the latter was made skipper by the Australian.

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“Kumble was never one to blow his own trumpet, but no one ever needed to be told that he was giving the team everything that he had. Whether with the bat or the ball or in the field, Kumble competed with a tenacity that few Indian players have surpassed,” Chappell said.

“The greatest asset that Kumble has is that he has a captain who has a robust self-belief, is courageous and who will lead by example in all areas,” he added.

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However, Chappell gave a word of caution for the new Indian head coach. “The level of expectation that has greeted Kumble’s appointment borders on unrealistic so, unless he gets the support of all of the key stakeholders, it may prove to be too much even for his indomitable spirit,” he concluded.