Coach, coach hota hai

One of sport’s abiding ironies is that great sportsmen do not make outstanding coaches. Greg Chappell, one of the great cricketers of his generation, has a chance to disprove that theory. He has his work cut out because, for all the considerable efforts put in by his predecessor, the Indian cricket team is in danger of slipping back to the dark ages of the nineties, the days of divided dressing rooms and abundant ego problems. The recent defeats to Pakistan — and Australia before that — may have come as a shock to the average cricket fan but the statistics show that our one-day record is pathetic, our Test achievements only marginally better. The ICC rankings tables certainly don’t lie. Chappell, known for a firm hand and strong will, must step in and eliminate the cliques.

Happily, and this is what attracted some of the game’s brightest minds to apply for the job, he will find a vast pool of talent to work with. India still possesses some of the most exciting batsmen in world cricket, a brilliant fast-bowling prospect in Irfan Pathan and others, such as M.S. Dhoni, knocking on the doors of success. His job will be to mesh the diverse talents on offer into a winning team — or at least a team in every sense of the word. He would do well to use the off-season, or part of it, to build up his rapport with the team before the hurly-burly of the new season gets under way. The big project is, of course, the World Cup in 2007 — and there is no reason why India should not enter the tournament as favourites.

Chappell’s work lies ahead, and so does the BCCI’s. Now that the coach saga is over, can it please take a look at the state of cricket in India? It is no coincidence that the two leading contenders for the job were from Australia — or that the man they sought to replace was a fellow Antipodean. Australia and New Zealand succeed because they look at the entire system, not the dozen-odd players in the first team. Every aspect of the domestic game, from umpires to pitches, selectors to stadiums, needs a re-look; the crowds should be brought back to the game. The team is in safe hands; the sport must be similarly assured.