Chappell's side must show up

Even four years after his departure as coach of India, Greg Chappell continues to make headlines. The other day, Zaheer Khan joined a select group of cricket personalities to talk candidly about the Australian batting great's so called adverse effect on Indian cricket.

However, there are several players who have not hit out at Chappell publicly and I wonder whether they ever will. While that remains a personal choice, I wonder whether Chappell would be tempted now to release a book on his Indian experience that lasted two seasons. Surely, he would want to provide his side of the story whether Indian cricket fans believe it or no. And Chappell is not the type who will continue to be silent.

There is good reason to believe that the Indian dressing room was not a happy place when Chappell was coach. There's also a good chance of being correct when one says that Chappell's cricketing knowledge was not in direct proportion to his man-management skills. But like any other story, there has to be the other side; putting things in perspective is only fair.

I was with Chappell on the eve of the controversial 2005 tour of Zimbabwe where the Ganguly v/s Greg saga began. He agreed to see me in his hotel room. The Chappell I met that night was a far cry to his calm self. He was angry at the team's complete disrespect for timing. He expected them early evening but some trooped in after 9.30 pm.

Chappell wanted a preparatory camp after the Sri Lanka tour, but the BCCI said no because the players wanted to spend time with their families. He expressed his desire to reach Zimbabwe early enough to get acclimatised, but that was not possible due to a cock-up in travel arrangements. Sitting on his bed that night, Chappell said to me, "I knew things would be bad, but I didn't imagine they would be so bad."

I am holding no brief for Chappell; It was a mistake to appoint him. The Board was wrong, and so was the media, who hailed him as a messiah. After all, he had no experience in coaching an international team and he didn't get rave reviews for his stint with South Australia. Also, the coach selectors should have looked at his controversial side.

Chappell's habit of talking to the media too often did not help the trust factor between him and the players as Virender Sehwag revealed in 2009. The Chappell era in Indian cricket is long over, but his book should be as controversial as his term. His story must be told!