Quote:
> > > > >http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/278172.html
> > > > > Greg Chappell has reiterated that his face-off with Sourav Ganguly was
> > > > > never a battle between two personalities" but merely a cricketing
> > > > > issue that was blown out of proportion". Chappell also said that he
> > > > > considered Ganguly's comeback as one of his "success stories", adding
> > > > > that the time spent away from international cricket had done him good.
> > > > > "I look at it as one of my success stories," Chappell said in an
> > > > > interview to The Hindu. "He has resurrected his batting and could play
> > > > > another three years for India, which is fantastic. The only way he
> > > > > could address certain issues was to spend some time away reassessing
> > > > > all of his goals and ambitions. Somebody had to tell him that."
> > > > > "It was never Chappell v Ganguly," he continued. "It was never a
> > > > > battle between two personalities. I only look at cricketing issues.
> > > > > How the others see it is their choice. The whole thing has been
> > > > > completely blown out of proportion. If the same situation arose, I
> > > > > would have the same view on it. It was about somebody needing to
> > > > > improve to offer 100% to the Indian team. Ganguly has come back
> > > > > extremely well and all credit to him. Zaheer Khan too faced similar
> > > > > issues and has responded well. Sometimes the only way you can enforce
> > > > > non-negotiable issues is through selection. But right now I have
> > > > > nothing but praise for Ganguly and Zaheer."
> > > > > Chappell believed that Virender Sehwag too would benefit from the
> > > > > current forced break, after having been dropped from the side, while
> > > > > expressing his faith in him. "Having some time away from the team
> > > > > might help him clear his head, freshen him up and help him come back
> > > > > with a much clearer focus," he said. "We have had many conversations
> > > > > and we intend having several more conversations in the future. Like in
> > > > > all players, the mind sometimes gets confused. The time away will help
> > > > > him reassess himself what he wants to achieve and whether he has the
> > > > > passion to come back and play for India. I have no doubt he will."
> > > > > Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, he felt, could emerge stronger from their
> > > > > current loss of form. "India doesn't have the sole possession of
> > > > > players who have bad days," he said. "The level of expectation is so
> > > > > high that sometimes the perspective is lost."
> > > > > ---------------------------
> > > > > "I look at it as one of my success stories," Chappell said in an
> > > > > interview to The Hindu.
> > > > > So Greg is taking the credit for Ganguly. And for Zaheer. And for
> > > > > Sehwag. And for Pathan.
> > > > > Absolutely hilarious. So easy - drop a player (whether justified or
> > > > > not) and he immediately improves.
> > > > > If this was true and really up to him, I wonder why he has never
> > > > > suggested that Tendulkar should also have been dropped :-)
> > > > You can bash him all you want but the change in Ganguly is there for
> > > > all to see.
> > > Indeed, and Greg at least said as much in the infamous email so he did
> > > predict such an improvement:
> > > "I suggested to Sourav that he should consider stepping down from the
> > > captaincy at the end of the tour in the interests of the team and in
> > > his own best interests if he wanted to prolong his playing career. I
> > > told him of my own experiences toward the end of my career and cited
> > > other players such as Border, Taylor and Steve Waugh, all of whom
> > > struggled with batting form toward the end of their tenure as
> > > Australian captain.
> > But he was responsible for throwing him out of the team not just
> > captaincy, while he talks about captaincy above. And those talks about
> > Ganguly's financial interests, etc. were all cricketing issues, huh?
> > As they say, success has many fathers. It was for everyone to see how
> > he was being completely ruled out of any possible comeback from all
> > quarters (with many experts/ex-cricketers advising retirement) after
> > being dropped. The case with Sehwag, Pathan and Zaheer is a bit
> > different in that respect. "no looking back" was only reserved for
> > Ganguly in pre-SA-series times. Is Chappell saying he believed his
> > preferred no-Ganguly middle order will fail miserably making way for
> > Ganguly? Or that he would have called him in even if the middle order
> > performed well?- Hide quoted text -
> Why does Chappell have to say that he would have called Ganguly in
> if the middle order was performing well? All he said at the time
> was that Ganguly needed to step down and focus on his batting. It
And all Ganguly said to the media when asked whether this is true is
"yes". Wasn't that blown out of proportion (with people alleging him
to have disclosed dressing-room affairs)?
Quote:
> all ended up with Gangs getting booted
How can "asking to step down from captaincy" end up in "removal from
the team"?
Quote:
> and it is to his credit that he
> fought his way back in with good performances and is showing focus
> and determination (which he was incapable of when he was sitting on
> his throne). The fire that was lit under Gangs had a very positive
> influence
> on him and will prolong his career.
I guess the question is what was the intention of the fire -- to burn
(someone) to ashes or to warm him up for future? Ganguly-supporters
will believe in the former and Chappell-supporters in the latter. It
was a pretty big fire my dear for someone to survive. The way the
entire scenario was staged no one (Chappell, Dravid, average cricket
fan, me, not sure about you) believed a few months ago Ganguly would
ever return. His was a gone case for most. The only man who believed
in a come-back was Ganguly himself. That's why I am not prepared to
give this credit to anyone else - Chappell included.
Look, Chappell doesn't have much to talk about these days about the
products of his maneuvres except maybe Sreesanth. So he is inventing
his contributions. He didn't waste time in adding Ganguly, Zaheer to
his list and prepared ground for including Sehwag and Pathan in case
they successfully return to the fold in future.
by