Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Walking into the Rajasthan Cricket Association8217;s RCA Centre of Excellence, Greg Chappell is conspicuous in a cyan T-shirt with golden stripes. No longer the famous 8216;Guru Greg8217; of Team India, he is now the assistant coach of the team, helping Ricky Ponting8217;s boys till the series starts in Bangalore 8212; the one-year clause in his BCCI contract that stopped him from accepting a position with another national team lapsed this May.
Always keen on mind-games, Australia are now touting Chappell as their big psychological weapon in the series against India. And those fans who scoffed at South African coach Mickey Arthur when he expressed concern over Gary Kirsten and Paddy Upton leaking out sensitive information to the Indian team 8212; Gary was previously the batting consultant of South Africa while Upton was in-charge of mental conditioning 8212; are now getting the gist of Arthur8217;s thoughts in this world of professional cricket.
Never before has a visiting team arrived so early in preparation for an India tour, and as the steam gathers before the Test series next month, much of the heat generated will originate from, or be attributed to, Chappell. He8217;s already in the thick of the action, having headed a team meeting that lasted over two hours and given the players pep talks.
8220;Having Greg here will definitely help. He8217;s the past skipper and what he8217;s achieved in life and his experience is second to none. It8217;s great to have him around and help in the battle as well,8221; says Brett Lee. 8220;We can benefit from his unique fielding and batting drills, he8217;s a key member of the Australian support team. His experience behind the scenes will help. He8217;s here and wearing our team colours which is great; what he8217;s done with the Indian team is brilliant. Greg8217;s taking on a new challenge and we will pick his brains for every little detail.8221;
Over the last year, Chappell has donned new hats 8212; as RCA consultant with the academy, as director of Australia8217;s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, and now in confrontation with the Indian team by camping on the opposite side.
But his love for interacting with the Indian media has been suppressed by the Cricket Australia guide-book. 8220;He cannot talk right now because of team instructions. But he wants to convey that he will have an interaction very soon to discuss about his work-profile with the Australian team,8221; said RCA vice-president Bimal Soni, while passing on Chappell8217;s message.
