Former Australian captain Greg Chappell was on Friday named India’s new cricket coach and entrusted with the task of masterminding the country’s campaign at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
”We have picked Chappell for a two-year term,” Ranbir Singh, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told reporters.
”We found him better than others. He will remain in charge till June 2007, which means he will be the coach at the next World Cup.”
The BCCI’s high-powered selection panel chose Chappell (56) ahead of fellow Australian Tom Moody, India’s Mohinder Amarnath and Desmond Haynes of the West Indies. The selection panel included three former captains: Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghvan.
The panel interviewed the four candidates on Thursday and unanimously opted for Chappell, Singh said.
A member of the selection panel said Chappell was the most impressive of the candidates during the interviews.
”Greg spoke his mind, but he knew what he was talking about. He bowled me over,” the member said.
According to media reports, Chappell did not talk money.
”I will be comfortable with whatever you give me. I am sure you know my worth,” Chappell is reported to have told the panel.
Asked how much time he could devote to Indian cricket, the Adelaide-based Chappell said: ”Twenty-four times seven times 365 days till the 2007 World Cup.”
Chappell was expected to meet again with BCCI officials later on Friday to discuss the terms of his contract.
He takes over from New Zealander John Wright, who served as India’s first foreign coach for almost five years before stepping down in April to devote time to his family.
Chappell’s first assignment with the Indian team is a triangular one-day tournament in Sri Lanka in August also featuring the West Indies.
Chappell, who played the last of his 87 Tests in 1984, is widely regarded as one of the batting greats with 7 110 runs at an average of 53,86 with 24 centuries.
He also played 74 one-dayers, scoring 2 331 runs at 40,18.
In 1981, Chappell infamously ordered younger brother Trevor to bowl an under-arm delivery to prevent New Zealand from winning a one-day international, an incident that almost broke diplomatic ties between the trans-Tasman rivals.
The stylish batsman coached South Australia for five years, but the Indian assignment will be his first at the international level.
Chappell and Moody were also shortlisted to replace John Dyson as coach of Sri Lanka.
Moody, director of cricket with English county side Worcestershire, is expected to fly to Colombo soon to be interviewed by Sri Lanka Cricket.
India, who won the World Cup in 1983 and were runners-up to Australia at the 2003 edition in South Africa, slipped badly last season when they lost eight of 10 one-dayers against arch-rivals Pakistan.
In Test cricket, the Indians also lost a home Test series to world champions Australia, then defeated South Africa and Bangladesh before being forced to a 1-1 draw by Pakistan. — Sapa-AFP