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Journalism of Courage
If you are looking for an analyst and a thinker, you need travel no further than Greg Chappell’s door. If you want your man to be a straight talking, no-nonsense kind of person, then you have got him as well. Greg Chappell is unlikely to mollycoddle young kids, or speak to them like an indulgent grand parent.
He’s been a great player and a fine commentator, though those are not necessarily qualities that make a great coach, and he has seen a lot of success and a fair share of failure, experiences that are very handy in dealing with young men.
We spent a lot of time with him in the commentary box during India’s Test matches in Australia in 2003-04. He was always forthcoming with his thoughts, it probably runs in the Chappell household, and he could be very blunt.
In India we sometimes sugar-coat criticism, sometimes avoid it altogether for fear of offending people. In course of time you discover that to be up-front without malice is the best way to communicate; that is why we got along very well with Greg.
And when it came to talking about cricket, he was enthralling; he commanded respect, he’d never have to ask for it.
We did a one hour programme together in Melbourne. It had to be shot before play started and that meant we had to end well in time for the crew to set up for the live broadcast. I didn’t want it to end for Greg was masterful in his analysis, he made cricket seem very simple and yet he was completely honest and humble about his failures, of which there were very few.
He spoke of what he went through when he couldn’t score a run against the West Indies in the early 1980s; of his admiration for, and disappointment with, his elder brother, specifically over the under-arm incident, and it was revealing to see that a man who had been voted into the all-time Australian XI could talk with such humility about not being able to score a run.
These qualities will stand him in good stead as he takes on one of the most challenging jobs in cricket. But he will need to show many different skills as well; patience for a start, with idolised cricketers, indifferent administrators and persistent media people.
He will discover that India will put a halo on him very quickly and that the expectations will be enormous. And there will be a touch of hostility from the swadeshi brigade. He will have to keep his smile handy.
I will be interested in seeing how he reacts to a difference of opinion with the captain. As a very successful leader himself, he will appreciate that the captain is the leader of the ship and yet Chappell can have very firm views and you can be sure he will state them.
He will be less of the background worker that John Wright was. I will also be very eager to see how he works on India’s fielding. He was one of the greatest slip-catchers there has been, an area India has traditionally been suspect in.
Chappell’s forte is the mind. He speaks, and writes with great eloquence, about technique and the art of batsmanship but he is a firm believer that it is the mind where the real battle is fought. You will hear a lot about that in the days to come.
I also believe he will have a point to prove. Back in Australia, there were mixed reviews to his coaching stint with South Australia. ‘‘Great player but not a coach’’ is a line that has been heard without being much solicited. I think, though, that great players find it easier talking to top players than to those a couple of rungs below and, as Chappell will discover, a player’s stature counts for more here than in Adelaide or Sydney.
He has a mighty challenge ahead of him. He has sailed over challenges as a player, now he must carry others with him. He has been a great performer, now he must show he can be a great giver. I think India has made the right choice.
