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Chappell takes charge of Team India
Greg Chappell reiterates his commitment to excellence and said Indian fans should not feel too despondent about Sachin Tendulkar's injury.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:52 AM IST
Read Time:3 min
Bangalore:
India's new cricket coach Greg Chappell today reiterated his commitment to excellence and said Indian fans should not feel too despondent about Sachin Tendulkar's injury. On the first day in his new assignment, Chappell reached the KSCA stadium in Bangalore where he will soon conduct a cricket camp for the Indian team. He met his support staff - the physiotherapist and the physical trainer. And the former Australian Test cricketer is all set to take on the challenges of his new job and cope with the Indian media. "Just to arrive at the stadium this morning was a nice feeling, it feels like the cricket is not too far away. I am delighted to be here, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with some of the best cricketers in the world," Greg Chappell said. A silver lining The new coach seems to believe that every cloud has a silver lining saying that something good might possibly come out of even Sachin's injury. "It might be an opportunity for someone else who comes up to be the next champion cricketer for India. So it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Don't twist my words, I am not saying it is a good thing that Sachin is injured, alright! All I am saying is that he is injured, we have got to make the most of that opportunity," Chappell said. Indicating that top players who were out of form should not be dropped in a hurry, Chappell was diplomatic and careful throughout the press meet - even on the issue of India's captain. "My view is you pick your best team and you pick the best person to be the captain, that is something I believe quite strongly. If Saurav is the best man for the job he should have it - if he is not than someone else should have it," India's new cricket coach said. Media glare The Australian has been followed by cameras since his arrival on Wednesday night, but says he will be able to deal with the media scrutiny. "Obviously the scrutiny will be quite strong and the love of cricket in this country is very strong. The emotions are always quite high and the well-being of the country seems to ride on the well-being of the Indian cricket team. So we understand we will be under a lot of scrutiny, but that goes with the territory. "I can't read, so it is okay, I won't be able to read the papers. All we can do is control what we can control - the job we've got to prepare the team to the best of our abilities, and at the end of the day it is up to the players to perform," Chappell said. If Chappell had any doubts about media interest in his new job, they must have been dispelled today. At his first press meet in Bangalore, the flashbulbs popped, but India's new cricket coach says he will be able to focus on the job at hand.Topics mentioned in this article
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