Greg Chappell’s tenure as the coach of the Indian team has had its fair share of ups and downs. While a few players underperformed, somehow managed to become better cricketers under him. The former all-rounder Irfan Pathan revealed about Chappell’s coaching style and his dressing room conversations with him.
“He had his way of treating seniors and juniors with the same respect. But in that, he would be a bit more aggressive than one would like. He would tell anyone that if they don’t perform, they will be dropped. I realised it was too aggressive, and once I talked to him privately about it,” Irfan said, speaking on Lallantop.
“I told him that we already know what you keep saying about being dropped. You don’t need to tell us. It is causing insecurity in the team. He looked at me for a while, got a bit upset and threw some choicest of words, but then he realised I was right,” said Irfan.
“If I go to Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or England as a coach, and if I don’t accept their culture, would their players accept me? Greg Chappell’s intention was right, but he wanted to bring an Australian culture. He wanted us to play hard cricket and didn’t care what background anyone came from. But you can certainly do it in a much better way,” said Irfan.
Irfan also spoke about his county stint during the interview. “I played for the Middlesex County club. You play a four-day match, then you drive the next day. They gather everyone in a bar before the match. I don’t drink, but I need to accept their culture. You are a part of the team, and you need to blend in. If Chappell hadn’t missed that one thing, he would’ve been one of the best coaches,” said Irfan.
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