Chappell Wants Ganguly Out - Emails BCCI.

[Shounak]

If Ganguly were to be ousted out.. Then I'd imagine Dravid would be the new captain.

Would they make Sehwag the vice captain? Or Yuvraj?

"In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king"

 

[SJS]

Well, none of this impacts on how plausible it is that Chappell really meant to motivate Ganguly by his comments - which he's publicly acknowledged that he made.

SL. Clearly, this was a response that came from Chappell when cornered on this discussion which he did not realise would come back into the public domain. I dont know if he would have been better off saying that I said what i did because I think Ganguly doesnt have a place and I meant every word of it. Giving this reply to the media may have sounded like he was giving a more plausible and realistic reply but it would have been a disaster if e wanted to contain the situation as the team was still abroad.

Not that it has helped.

He was clear what he wanted to do with regards to taking up the matter with BCCI etc on return/end of the series but he , perhaps, wanted to give a less scandalous reply to the media who would ponce on it anyway.

I am not saying his reply was plausible or he wouldnt have been better off with a "no comment" but I still can try to see what was behind that answer.

When there is a spat between two leaders in a team it is always going to be ugly and no one can emerge from it with credit. All that the board needs to do is lok at the siruation without bias or vested interests. Only the interest of Indian cricket matters. Unfortunately very few are going to be only looking at that.

Not all those who are finding faults with what Ganguly has done < as am I, are doing it because they care for Indian cricket. Many of them are grabbing with both hands the opportunity they have been thirsting for to put Ganguly in his place.

Then there is the proxy war being fought for the control of BCCI. Showing the mess in Indian Cricket and trying to associate it with one group or the other is a much bigger issue (think of the tens of millions of dollars involved) than what happens to Team India let alone the future of Ganguly or Chappell.

 

[honestbharani]

Maybe Chappell didn't handle this situation in the best way, but honestly, I think his stand will end up benefitting Indian cricket in the long run, not just because Sourav will be dropped, but because certain "senior" players will actually understand that they have a coach who has no time for mediocrity or unsincere efforts.

 

[SJS]

Maybe Chappell didn't handle this situation in the best way, but honestly, I think his stand will end up benefitting Indian cricket in the long run, not just because Sourav will be dropped, but because certain "senior" players will actually understand that they have a coach who has no time for mediocrity or unsincere efforts.

I totally endorse that HB but is the board listening because it will finally depend upon them and them alone. Everyone else other than the Board president, is just a puppett. And how he behaves or acts is likely to be influenced by many factors.

For once, though I am a no great fan of Dungerpur and Company, I hope the "Mumbai Mafia" which includes many big, legendry and powerful names will act in a manner that wil benefit Indian Cricket even if their own reasons for acting as they will are not always "honourable"

 

[Deja moo]

I totally endorse that HB but is the board listening because it will finally depend upon them and them alone. Everyone else other than the Board president, is just a puppett. And how he behaves or acts is likely to be influenced by many factors.

For once, though I am a no great fan of Dungerpur and Company, I hope the "Mumbai Mafia" which includes many big, legendry and powerful names will act in a manner that wil benefit Indian Cricket even if their own reasons for acting as they will are not always "honourable"

It doesnt stop at that unfortunately. According to the latest news reports, the Pawar and Dalmiya camps arent averse to a compromise formula that would have them alternating the Presidency every year ! I mean, WTF ? Thats like the Democrats and Republicans in the US deciding that elections are a waste of time and that they prefer to alternate the reigns of power among themselves.

 

[Dasa]

Would they make Sehwag the vice captain? Or Yuvraj?

It would definitely be Sehwag. Yuvraj isn't even sure of a place in the team.

 

[honestbharani]

It would definitely be Sehwag. Yuvraj isn't even sure of a place in the team.

And even if he was, I don't think he would be the best candidate. Ideally, Sehwag and Kaif should be the next blokes in the line, in that order.

 

[Slow Love™]

SL. Clearly, this was a response that came from Chappell when cornered on this discussion which he did not realise would come back into the public domain. I dont know if he would have been better off saying that I said what i did because I think Ganguly doesnt have a place and I meant every word of it. Giving this reply to the media may have sounded like he was giving a more plausible and realistic reply but it would have been a disaster if e wanted to contain the situation as the team was still abroad.

Not that it has helped.

He was clear what he wanted to do with regards to taking up the matter with BCCI etc on return/end of the series but he , perhaps, wanted to give a less scandalous reply to the media who would ponce on it anyway.

I am not saying his reply was plausible or he wouldnt have been better off with a "no comment" but I still can try to see what was behind that answer.

When there is a spat between two leaders in a team it is always going to be ugly and no one can emerge from it with credit. All that the board needs to do is lok at the siruation without bias or vested interests. Only the interest of Indian cricket matters. Unfortunately very few are going to be only looking at that.

Not all those who are finding faults with what Ganguly has done < as am I, are doing it because they care for Indian cricket. Many of them are grabbing with both hands the opportunity they have been thirsting for to put Ganguly in his place.

No argument with any of this - I am just a little perplexed at some of the insistence from some quarters that Chappell did nothing wrong, or that his conduct was thoroughly professional, 'cause I wouldn't say it was.

One thing that confuses me a tad is exactly how Chappell expected Ganguly to react when he shared his honest opinion of what the team should be on the eve of a test. Particularly, given that when Sourav had his hissy fit and threatened to leave the tour, it was decided that he had to be convinced to stay (ironically it appears that Dravid was instrumental in calming Ganguly down), because it would be a "disaster" if the captain were to leave at that point in the series.

It just makes me wonder what was in Chappell's head at the time. I can't help thinking it was an attempt at busting Ganguly's chops that went horribly wrong. And Chappell's subsequent explanations haven't helped much.

 

[SJS]

It doesnt stop at that unfortunately. According to the latest news reports, the Pawar and Dalmiya camps arent averse to a compromise formula that would have them alternating the Presidency every year ! I mean, WTF ? Thats like the Democrats and Republicans in the US deciding that elections are a waste of time and that they prefer to alternate the reigns of power among themselves.

And guess what ? They have nominated Pawar (not as per his wishes according to Pawar) on to the marketing committee. He has accepted in the "interests" of the game of course. He alongwith another person suggested by him will now sit on this all powerful committee which decided the marketing contracts including the most vital ones (for Indian cricket of course) on who gets media coverage rights and at what terms.

Clearly the right place to be if you want to best serve the interests of.......Indian cricket of course.

Maybe with this and the two months period of postponement will be enough to get Pawar to back off and share the "responsibilities" in this important capacity rather than insist on replacing Dalmiya's lackey !!

Pawar has made at least one statement of not wanting to settle things in courts. Music to Dalmiya's ears no doubt.

All is well with OIndian Cricket. We can breathe again

 

[Deja moo]

And guess what ? They have nominated Pawar (not as per his wishes according to Pawar) on to the marketing committee. He has accepted in the "interests" of the game of course. He alongwith another person suggested by him will now sit on this all powerful committee which decided the marketing contracts including the most vital ones (for Indian cricket of course) on who gets media coverage rights and at what terms.

Clearly the right place to be if you want to best serve the interests of.......Indian cricket of course.

Maybe with this and the two months period of postponement will be enough to get Pawar to back off and share the "responsibilities" in this important capacity rather than insist on replacing Dalmiya's lackey !!

Pawar has made at least one statement of not wanting to settle things in courts. Music to Dalmiya's ears no doubt.

All is well with OIndian Cricket. We can breathe again

We need a Musharraf to clean things up . Whatever the excesses he may be accused of, theres little denying that he certainly has made Pakistani cricket more professional than ever before.

 

[SJS]

We need a Musharraf to clean things up . Whatever the excesses he may be accused of, theres little denying that he certainly has made Pakistani cricket more professional than ever before.

Yes he has. By appointing generals to run the Pakistani Cricket establishment

We in India though we were better and ran our affairs pretty well without the "brass" but you may have a point in this case, sadly.

Money/sponsers have done so much for the cricketers in India but so many flies of assorted colors are also attracted by the sweet scent of the mooolah that its far from being a blessing and a blessing alone.

 

[Anil]

it is confusing, all that we hear and we'll always hear versions of the truth and won't know how much of it is coloured....all i know is that 1. ganguly hasn't deserved his place in the team for some time and 2. we need a coach to instil the values of discipline, hard work and commitment in this team and chappell looks like the right candidate to do that...i hope the selectors choose to oust ganguly(at least as captain) and appoint dravid as captain retaining chappell as coach...

 

[marc71178]

The fact that Ganguly leaked the information which he should have taken to the BCCI if he felt he was being hard done by makes Ganguly the person at fault.

Ands I suppose Chappell is blameless?

 

[Pratters]

Ands I suppose Chappell is blameless?

He did not handle the situation in the best way possible obviously.

Also I never said he is blameless or not blameless. So the reaction of yours was pretty weird.

 

[Pratters]

Ganguly even said on TV watched by the entire world as gavaskar presented him with the momento on becoming the Indian to lead in most tests that he wasnt sure if it was his last as captain.
....

I am not part of the blind Ganguly fan club from Calcutta which is why I am blaming Ganguly for coming out in public like you.

 

[SJS]

it is confusing, all that we hear and we'll always hear versions of the truth and won't know how much of it is coloured....all i know is that 1. ganguly hasn't deserved his place in the team for some time and 2. we need a coach to instil the values of discipline, hard work and commitment in this team and chappell looks like the right candidate to do that...i hope the selectors choose to oust ganguly(at least as captain) and appoint dravid as captain retaining chappell as coach...

I sincerely hope so too. I think India needs a coach who will not let prima donnas rule by default. If BCCI refuses to give him a free hand he should resign and go with his dignity intact.

 

[SJS]

I am not part of the blind Ganguly fan club from Calcutta which is why I am blaming Ganguly for coming out in public like you.

You know Pratyush, I was one of those who stood up for Ganguly when he was made fun of and called arrogant, rude, and blamed for all kinds of real and imagined negative traits. But today, in fact for over a year now, Ganguly has done exactly the opposite of what he always stood for. I like what Sambit Bal, Editor of Cricinfo said when he wrote..

It is a sad thing to say about Ganguly, for Indian cricket owes him a hell of a lot: he marshalled it through uncertain times; gave it steel and confidence; stood up for young talent without fear or favour; and spoke his mind on the right issues. He was the right man for Indian cricket at the right time. But it has to be said. Indian cricket stands, at this crucial juncture, hostage to Ganguly's personal troubles. It is one of the great tragedies that the man under whom the Indian team took so many bold steps in the path of liberation from diffidence and groupism, is himself a victim now of the most-dreaded malady in Indian cricket: self-preservation.

There was a time not so long ago when Ganguly used to talk with pride about the spirit of the Indian dressing room. Today, you can feel only wistful about it. Intrigue, factionalism, regionalism... all the ills that the Indian team seemed to have left behind have been ushered back. Throughout his four-year coaching tenure, John Wright's biggest concern was the tendency of certain players to develop comfort zones. In the recent past, many players have made the creation of a comfort zone their sole objective, to the detriment of the team. And unfortunately, because of his personal travails with the bat, Ganguly is seen as a leading victim of this syndrome. Insecurity does not take long to spread when it emanates from the leader. The rot is now palpable.

It is so sad because it is so true.

 

[open365]

Gangulys comment about how Chappell shouldn't have sent an email once the argument was over was completly stupid.

it shows everyone that he is frightened about his place in the side and is willing to sacrifice indian cricket for his own giant ego.

 

[Pratters]

You know Pratyush, I was one of those who stood up for Ganguly when he was made fun of and called arrogant, rude, and blamed for all kinds of real and imagined negative traits. But today, in fact for over a year now, Ganguly has done exactly the opposite of what he always stood for. I like what Sambit Bal, Editor of Cricinfo said when he wrote..

Remember when we were talking on the phone some months back and I said Ganguly should have retired from tests after the series win in Pakistan and you disagreed. He has done his legacy no good and its really sad as you and Sambit Bal and most Indian fans now feel of what has come of it.

I would like Ganguly to play in the Indian one day squad come world cup 2007. Why? Because it would be good for the team to have a player with his agression and his one day match talent in the squad. If it was a perfect world where back room groupisms and comments to the media of what happens in the dressing room were not made public, I doubt despite the bad form of Ganguly if he would denied a 2007 world cup place. Right now there is legitimate doubt.

The question every one is asking is will this episode harm Indian cricket. Is this a depressing turn of events in Indian cricket. It is depressing. But if you look at the results from the post India's tour of Pakistan, nothing has gone right for Indian cricket.

India has lost almost every series, tournament. So this is the nadir. This is as low as it gets. Things can only improve from here and the firm stance of Chappell, a person known for having his own mind always, I believe can indeed be a catalyst.

This incident brings a ray of light to Indian cricket again and is not some thing which will harm it.

 

[SJS]

But if you look at the results from the post India's tour of Pakistan, nothing has gone right for Indian cricket.

You know, I hate using the words, "I told you so" but I cant help recalling the feeling I had after the Pakistani tour that things were not going well with team India. I shared it in a new thread called "The Famed Indian Batting line up nearly a year ago in Oct 2004.

There have been lots of brickbats (well deserved) for Parthiv Patel on this forum and at least one passionate 'plea' in his favour (more emotionally charged than otherwise). However, the fact of the matter is that India is in this sorry state of affairs, at the time of writing, in this series not because of Parthiv's keeping (pathetic though its been) but the amazing failure of its much acclaimed batting line up.
.........
So whats ailing team India.
...........
Where is the confidence in Laxman's batting ? Where is the aggression in Dravid's and Sachin's approach ? Where is the management's confidence in its opening batsman (one test per trial !) ? Does this look like a team that believes it can take on the Aussies ?
.......
There is something terribly wrong with team India. Much more than Patel's keeping, much more than Sachin's prolonged absence and much more than bad form. This is a team that doesnt seem to believe it can take on the Aussies and no team in that frame of mind can even get close to challenging them.

I then went on to obliquely suggest, much to the chagrin of some who told me all kinds of things, that things were wrong within team India.

I seem to get a feeling this is not just to do with form. I think Team India is less of a team today as compared to this time last year.

There is no specific reason to pin point but its a funny feeling I get. Suddenly you dont get that feeling of 'one-ness'. If I have to make a guess, I would say there are divisions between the seniors (skipper versus the rest) on important matters. I somehow get a feeling, Ganguly is getting a bit isolated and this , even if a 'feeling' , can affect the overall mood and hence the performance of the team.

Too much has been said from around the third test in Pakistan about who should open, for example. Suddenly , out of the blue, Ganguly dropped Chopra and even more 'out-of-the-blue' as it were proposed Yuvraj for opening.

This provoked a strange but immediate response from Sehwag making clear who he prefered as a partner. This is not normal. This kind of airing of differences with the skipper. Immediately followed, if I remember right, Sehwag's assertion that he would still prefer to bat in the middle.
........
Then there was the incident of the declaration with Sachin closing in on a double hundred. It is widely talked of as a decision taken by Dravid on being prompted by Ganguly.
............
Its extremely unlikely that the public, and ex cricketers etc. would have been as charitable if this had come from Ganguly as captain. Still it provoked a totally uncharachterstic response from Sachin. It was closed soon but it left a lingering air of ....

I will not be surprised if the selection committee is not the only place where Parthiv's inclusion was hotly debated. In a team which is full of superstars who have a lot of clout in their own capacity, it could be a major bone of contention.
........

I know this sounds like reading a lot between nothing, but somehow, the body language, the facial expressions, the sound bites coming out of the Indian camp (not just the performance) after the tour to Pakistan have me thinking something is badly amiss.

Hope I am wrong but I doubt it.

Well the funny feeling is not funny anymore