BCCI Faces Its Toughest Challenge

[silentstriker]

I'm not saying I condone the behavior of Tendulkar, Ganguly etc, but I believe the atmosphere was poisoned by Chappell. He created an environment of suspicion and manipulation, if reports are to be believed. I still remember the Indian team that triumphantly won in Pakistan for the first time in history. They were a united group then. How did it all goto pieces in such a relatively short period, with the same group of senior players involved that were united in victory back then? What has changed so drastically since then? I think the answer lies in the entry of Chappell as the new coach. He may have exposed some rotten tendencies of Indian players, but he had a large part to play in that. I think he needs to go. The players should be held accountable as well. It would be wise of the Indian board to drop Tendulkar, Ganguly, Sehwag, Bhaji and anyone else that played a rebellious role and caused the team to fail. I think the last thing a potential new coach should have to deal with is this division in the team.

Irrelevant if he was the Devil Incarnate. You are a professional cricketer, and he's your coach. You do your best to work under that system and if you have complaints, handle them in a professional manner and not let it interfere with your work ethic. I can't choose not to work with someone at work if I don't like them. Deal with it, and still act in a professional manner. Backstabbing, scheming and refusing to work and going against management (whether you like them or not) will get you fired in real life, and the same thing should happen here.

If a change in management is what is needed - go through the proper channels to voice your concerns quietly to the board. Until then, shut up and do your job. A job that you are paid very handsomly to do. It's not like you're doing something which no one wants - there are a billion people who'd switch places with you in a second if they could and wouldn't cry like a little baby about having to accelerate the scoring when needed either.

I can't stand whiny little cry babies who throw a fit because the coach asked them to spend more time at the treadmill, or to open the innings, or to field better, etc.

 

[Fusion]

Irrelevant if he was the Devil Incarnate. You are a professional cricketer, and he's your coach. You do your best to work under that system and if you have complaints, handle them in a professional manner and not let it interfere with your work ethic. I can't choose not to work with someone at work if I don't like them. Deal with it, and still act in a professional manner. Backstabbing, scheming and refusing to work and going against management (whether you like them or not) will get you fired in real life, and the same thing should happen here.

If a change in management is what is needed - go through the proper channels to voice your concerns quietly to the board. Until then, shut up and do your job. A job that you are paid very handsomly to do. It's not like you're doing something which no one wants - there are a billion people who'd switch places with you in a second if they could and wouldn't cry like a little baby about having to accelerate the scoring when needed either.

I can't stand whiny little cry babies who throw a fit because the coach asked them to spend more time at the treadmill, or to open the innings, or to field better, etc.

Which is why I also said that those players should be dropped. However, it's rather convenient to preach about the player's responsibility and ignore the Coach's isn't it? Isn't Chappell supposed to behave like a professional as well? That means not leaking information to the media. That means not creating a division in the dressing room. That means accepting your own part in failure and not blaming it all on the players. I don't see how Chappell is without blame here.

 

[silentstriker]

Which is why I also said that those players should be dropped. However, it's rather convenient to preach about the player's responsibility and ignore the Coach's isn't it? Isn't Chappell supposed to behave like a professional as well? That means not leaking information to the media. That means not creating a division in the dressing room. That means accepting your own part in failure and not blaming it all on the players. I don't see how Chappell is without blame here.

Oh, I agree he has to go. That is not in dispute here. The problem is that even if he is as bad as what the picture paints, and he may be that bad, it is still irrelevant from a professional player's perspective. Its not your job as a player to make that judgment, and you need to behave like a adult.

What would piss me off if the players win out and the management loses. The management has to go, but not by themselves.

 

[Fusion]

What would piss me off if the players win out and the management loses. The management has to go, but not by themselves.

We are in agreement there.

 

[adharcric]

This is an utterly disgraceful situation.

 

[Anil]

This is an utterly disgraceful situation.

that it is...why would anyone gang up against such a nice guy like dravid(assuming these stories have some truth in them)? was he as much under chappell's thumb as is being projected? the players seem almost unanimous in their rejection of chappell and i can understand bad, abrasive man-management by chappell spinning off into that kind of an attitude but could it be that they are mostly protesting against changing their set ways and just refusing to make the necessary effort to become more professional, fit and focussed on winning? if so, these prima donnas need to go, so does the coach(although he might just possibly do better with a more receptive/younger group of players), i am not sure about the captain either way, one thing is for sure, he needs to be more assertive....

 

[open365]

I think we should all just wait for the final report before we start making judgements, everything in that article is speculating on what Chappel is going to say and unless i'm very much mistaken the writer of that article isn't Greg Chappel.

Hypotheticaly if everything in that article is true i would say the players have always been the selfish un coachable superstars they are now but it took such a belligerent coach as Chappel to really bring the personality problems within the team out into the open.

 

[adharcric]

that it is...why would anyone gang up against such a nice guy like dravid(assuming these stories have some truth in them)? was he as much under chappell's thumb as is being projected? the players seem almost unanimous in their rejection of chappell and i can understand bad, abrasive man-management by chappell spinning off into that kind of an attitude but could it be that they are mostly protesting against changing their set ways and just refusing to make the necessary effort to become more professional, fit and focussed on winning? if so, these prima donnas need to go, so does the coach(although he might just possibly do better with a more receptive/younger group of players), i am not sure about the captain either way, one thing is for sure, he needs to be more assertive....

In reality, there are far too many possibilities to pinpoint the blame on a single party at the moment. Chappell's man-management may have been so pathetic that he extracted the worst out of the senior players - even then, their behavior (as reported) was unacceptable. On the other hand, Chappell may have been trying to extract the best out of the senior players by challenging them (something that may work in AUS but certainly does not with these "soft" cricketers) but the players felt threatened by him. Dravid may have been a weak captain who merely succumbed to Chappell - should he have created a rift on the other front by taking the players' side? On the other hand, perhaps Dravid strongly believed in the Chappell ideology and the players turned against him because he too was pushing them too hard.

The BCCI are likely to get rid of Chappell and deservedly so - nobody can deny that he has been an idiot when it comes to publicly handling his players. Will they remove the senior players? Probably not. Should Dravid be sacked? Really, we don't know if he is a weak captain or merely one who agreed with Chappell's (correct?) policy. The aftermath of Sehwag's selection is very suspicious - Vengsarkar said Dravid (apparently in the Chappell camp) wanted him, Chappell said he didn't get his youth and somehow the senior players remain upset with Dravid. Were Chappell's "processes" wrong or were the senior players too pathetic to carry them forward? We really don't know. Let's hope the BCCI finds out and takes appropriate action.

 

[silentstriker]

The appropriate action would be for the BCCI to sack themselves. Odds on that happening though?

 

[Nishant]

its really a shame what has happened to indian cricket of late. Who would have thought of all this a month back? But news is just getting worse and worse.....if the claims that senior players are infact a 'mafia' are true, then they should all be dropped. I really mean that, even if it is tendulkar! I wouldnt even give him the england tour to prove himself! He was a good player...but in my books he is no longer a legend, if all of this is true! A legend of the game doesnt think he is better than everyone else...he plays well FOR HIS TEAM...not for himself and i for one will be happy if he is dropped and disgraced. But, only, if all of this is true....if not, then i withdraw my statements.

By the way, this doesnt just go for tendulkar...but 4 all the senior players!

 

[Turbinator]

I am quite shocked especially after reading TOIs articles on this matter...

http://worldcup.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1853133.cms
http://worldcup.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1853059.cms

I'll be interested to see what the BCCI does about this...

 

[Nishant]

I am quite shocked especially after reading TOIs articles on this matter...

http://worldcup.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1853133.cms
http://worldcup.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1853059.cms

I'll be interested to see what the BCCI does about this...

its a war now! Tendulkar disagrees with Chappel! Who will go...because someone has to now. You cant just keep it the way it was now!

 

[silentstriker]

"It hurts when coach questions our attitude, says Tendulkar"

So change the attitude, and it won't be questioned anymore.

 

[Nishant]

"It hurts when coach questions our attitude, says Tendulkar"

So change the attitude, and it won't be questioned anymore.

 

[Nishant]

quite true SS...but we dont know who is telling the truth IMO! Is chappel just trying to blame it on the players or are the players trying to save their own skin?

 

[open365]

"It hurts when coach questions our attitude, says Tendulkar"

So change the attitude, and it won't be questioned anymore.

I don't see how that quote amounts to Tendulkar being a negative force in the camp.

Chappel's intentions of criticising them was to make it hurt and change their attitude, Tendulkar saying that is a fair response imo.

 

[viktor]

"It hurts when coach questions our attitude, says Tendulkar"

So change the attitude, and it won't be questioned anymore.

SS, why are you assuming its Tendulkar's attitude that is at fault?
So may be he didn't like being asked to bat at 4. He did still bat at 4. The fact that he failed cannot be down to his attitude.
It could well be that Chappell has in fact indulged in divisive tactics within the team.

 

[silentstriker]

SS, why are you assuming its Tendulkar's attitude that is at fault?
So may be he didn't like being asked to bat at 4. He did still bat at 4. The fact that he failed cannot be down to his attitude.
It could well be that Chappell has in fact indulged in divisive tactics within the team.

Could be, but what I'm reading about Tendulkar and other seniors disgusts me. And Chappell could very well have been divisive and the worst coach in the history of the universe. Still does not excuse what they did.

Chappell will be fired, let's be realistic and likely Dravid's captaincy with him. But if the others are still around, I'll be annoyed. I've defended Sachin so many times, its not even funny. But I've always thought and from what I read, it seemed accurate, that he was always a hard worker and professional about his job. But forming the cliques like he was, and undermining the leadership (even if he disagreed with it) are not qualities I want.

Of course, these could all be lies and I could be wrong, but from what I am reading from multiple sources, I've lost a lot of respect for EVERYONE involved, except Kumble.

 

[viktor]

Could be, but what I'm reading about Tendulkar and other seniors disgusts me. And Chappell could very well have been divisive and the worst coach in the history of the universe. Still does not excuse what they did.

Chappell will be fired, let's be realistic and likely Dravid's captaincy with him. But if the others are still around, I'll be annoyed. I've defended Sachin so many times, its not even funny. But I've always thought and from what I read, it seemed accurate, that he was always a hard worker and professional about his job. But forming the cliques like he was, and undermining the leadership (even if he disagreed with it) are not qualities I want.

Of course, these could all be lies and I could be wrong, but from what I am reading from multiple sources, I've lost a lot of respect for EVERYONE involved, except Kumble.

But that's precisely my point! All these years you don't read anything like this about Sachin. The previous coach went out of his way to praise the senior group in the team. That is why I find it difficult to believe what is being said.
Anyway, its just one group's word against another. You shouldn't jump to conclusions.
Also, I think Dravid might end up retaining his captaincy but yeah, Chappell is in all probability out.

 

[Sanz]

It is not so surprising to see all Tendulkar fans coming out of the closet to defend Tendulkar and Chappell has suddenly become the evil man for the same thing he has been doing for two years.

The difference is that earlier he didn't question the GOD of Indian Cricket and the moment he questions the performance of Sri SachinTendulkarJi Maharaj, all knives are out to get Tendulkar.