Sachin Tendulkar Says Greg Chappell Would Thrust Players In Front Everytime India Lost
Sachin Tendulkar said former India coach Greg Chappell liked to stay prominent in the media, unlike his predecessor John Wright and successor and Gary Kirsten, who preferred to stay in the background.
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is critical of former India coach Greg Chappell's propensity to hog the limelight when the going was good but had the habit of leaving the players in the lurch when all went downhill. (Tendulkar Calls Chappell 'Ringmaster')
In his to-be-released autobiography 'Playing it My Way' Tendulkar writes: "I remember that every time India won, Greg could be seen leading the team to the hotel or into the team bus, but every time India lost he would thrust the players in front. (Chappell Created Doubts in our Minds: Harbhajan)
In general John (Wright) and Gary (Kirsten) always preferred to stay in the background, but Greg liked to be prominent in the media."
The 41-year-old has also claimed that the Australian wanted to drop senior players from the team. Tendulkar writes: "Chappell seemed intent on dropping the older players and in the process damaged the harmony of the side. Once, he asked VVS Laxman to consider opening the batting. Laxman politely turned him down, saying he had tried opening in the first half of his career because he was confused, but now he was settled in the middle order. (Not Fair to Blame Chappell for India's 2007 WC Debacle: Gavaskar to NDTV)
Chappell vs Laxman
"Greg's response stunned us all. He told Laxman he should be careful, because making a comeback at the age of 32 might not be easy.
"In fact, I later found out that Greg had spoken to the BCCI about the need to remove the senior players," the maestro writes. (Tendulkar Stood by me During Chappell Controversy: Ganguly)
Tendulkar says seniors were relieved to see Chappell go, which wasn't surprising as "he had not treated them fairly."
Tendulkar also said that he told the BCCI not to send Chappell to the 2007 World Cup. "I suggested to the BCCI that the best option would be to keep Greg back in India and not send him with the team to the World Cup." Tendulkar told the Board that senior players could take control of the team.