Chappell didn’t know how to run international team: Laxman

Former India cricketer VVS Laxman has criticized former India coach Greg Chappell for his man-management skills in his autobiography and has claimed that he didn’t know how to run an international team. He also claimed that Chappell played an influential part in the worst phase of his playing career.

Greg rigid and inflexible in his approach: Laxman 

In his autobiography, the former Indian batsman has written that Chappell had his favorites, who were well looked after, while the others were left to fend for themselves. He noted that the team had disintegrated before their eyes and Greg’s entire stint had been a cause for bitterness.

Speaking about Chappell’s methods, Laxman said that the coach was rigid and inflexible in his approach, and didn’t know how to run an international team. According to the India cricketer, Chappell often seemed to forget that it was the players who played the game and were stars, not the coach.

Won’t respect Greg Chappell the coach: Laxman

Laxman further noted that the former Australian cricketer was brusque and abrasive, highly opinionated and rigid in his thinking. His man-management skills were non-existent. Laxman explains that Chappell quickly sowed further seeds of discontent in an already diffident team.

The Indian cricketer made it clear that he will always respect Greg Chappell the batsman but unfortunately, he can’t say the same for Greg Chappell the coach.

Chappell left the team in tatters: Laxman

Greg Chappell’s coaching tenure is seen as one of the low points of Indian cricket. Saurav Ganguly the then Indian captain had serious differences with the coach which ended in Ganguly’s exit from the team while other senior cricketers too had issues with him.

Team India also suffered a humiliating first-round-exit in the 2007 world cup but the era also marked the emergence of young cricketers who became the backbone of the team and delivered some terrific results in the times ahead.

MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh who matured during Chappell’s era were the essential cogs of India’s success in the 2011 world cup and 2007 T20 world cup.

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However, Laxman feels that Greg Chappell arrived in India to a groundswell of goodwill and support and he left the team in tatters. According to Laxman, results on the field might suggest that his methods worked to some extent, but those results had nothing to do with their coach.