3 biggest controversies involving Greg Chappell
Former Australian great and Indian coach Greg Chappell has been among the most discussed names in cricket history for right and wrong reasons. Although Chappell is often remembered for his indifferent coaching tenure with Team India, one mustn't forget his incredible career as a player.
Arguably in the top-three batters of his generation, the right-hander from South Australia dominated world cricket with his elegant stroke play and remarkable consistency. Chappell scored over 7,000 Test runs at an incredible average of 53.86, with 24 centuries in his illustrious career.
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The champion batter was adept at the white-ball game, scoring 2,331 runs at an average of 40.18 despite playing in the infant stage of One-day cricket. Chappell also piled up the numbers in first-class cricket, scoring over 24,000 runs with an other-worldly 74 centuries.
Another astounding statistic of Greg Chappell is his sensational average of above 52 at home and away in red-ball cricket, something only a handful of batters have ever achieved. Numbers apart, the man who turns 75 today was also widely regarded as one of the most elegant batters to watch with his eye-pleasing strokeplay.
Chappell also captained Australia in 48 Tests, winning 21 and losing 13 games, with 14 draws.
Post-retirement, Chappell ventured into various coaching roles, with his stint with India from 2005 to 2007 being the most infamous one. Despite being highly criticized for the team's embarrassing 2007 World Cup exit and his conflicting relationships with the senior players, the team won more than they lost under the Aussie great.
India won 32 and lost 27 of their 62 ODI matches while winning seven and losing four out of 18 Tests under Chappell. The team created a world record by winning 17 times on the tot while chasing in ODIs.
However, despite the outstanding numbers and various accomplishments, the former Australian captain is unfortunately also remembered not so fondly for his numerous controversies as a player and coach.
Let us look back at the three most controversial moments involving Greg Chappell.
#1 Underarm bowling incident against New Zealand in 1981
While Australian cricketers have often been criticized for bending the spirit of the game to win at all costs, the underarm incident involving then-skipper Greg Chappell might have been the worst of them all.
It was the third game of a best-of-five final series between Trans-Tasmanian rivals Australia and New Zealand in 1981. With the Kiwis requiring six runs to win off the final delivery, Greg Chappell instructed his younger brother Trevor Chappell to bowl the last delivery underarm to ensure a six could not be hit.
The batter facing was Brian Mckechnie, who could only play the ball defensively along the ground, resulting in an Aussie victory. Although the delivery was deemed legal then, the move was heavily slammed for being against the spirit of play.
Chappell later explained after several years that he was fatigued and stressed after a challenging season of cricket and admitted to not being mentally fit to be captain at that time.
#2 Spat with Sourav Ganguly
Undeniably the darkest moment in Indian cricket was the feud between Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly. Following his appointment as the Indian coach at the start of the 2005 season, the former Australian captain asked Ganguly to step down as the Indian skipper before the Zimbabwe tour.
The Australian great also wished for Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif to play ahead of Ganguly in India's best-playing XI.
Upon hearing this, a displeased Ganguly decided to leave the tour before being recalled by the team director, Chappell, and Rahul Dravid. A few days later, there were reports of Chappell threatening to resign as coach of India.
Later during the tour, Chappell emailed the Board of Contol of Cricket in India (BCCI), criticizing Ganguly as mentally and physically unfit to lead the side and accusing the captain of exaggerating imaginary injuries. The ultimate disgrace was the email being leaked, causing chaos and dysfunction within the Indian dressing room.
Subsequently, Ganguly was removed from captaincy and dropped from the ODI and Test squad during the home series against Sri Lanka in 2005-06. The left-hander eventually returned to the ODI and Test squad within the next two years.
However, the numerous spats and controversies during the Chappell two-year coaching tenure, culminating with the disastrous 2007 World Cup, have made the former Australian great a villain in Indian cricket.
#3 Sachin Tendulkar's allegations against Greg Chappell
A year after his international retirement, Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar made startling revelations on Greg Chappell wanting to go behind Rahul Dravid's back ahead of the 2007 World Cup.
In his autobiography - 'Playing it my way' Tendulkar wrote:
"Just months before the (2007) World Cup, Chappell had come to see me at home and, to my dismay, suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid. Anjali (Tendulkar's wife), who was sitting with me was equally shocked to hear him say that 'together, we could control Indian cricket for years', and that he would help me in taking over the reins of the side."
Despite Greg Chappell dismissing Tendulkar's allegations as untrue, most Indian fans took the master blaster's words as a fact, considering the Australian's horrendous coaching tenure with the side.