"Australia do not have a celebrity culture, but we have that" - Irfan Pathan on how Dravid must avoid Greg Chappell's mistake
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan recalled how former coach Greg Chappell's aggressive tactics while dealing with personnel issues in the camp backfired and urged current head coach Rahul Dravid to deal with such problems in a different manner. The upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup marks the final assignment for Dravid at the helm, with the BCCI already looking for his successor.
Chappell's infamous reign as Team India's head coach made the headlines for several reasons. His tussles with Sourav Ganguly and the way he sealed with some of the other senior players were also questionable. The former Australian skipper finally left the role following India's humiliating first-round exit from the 2007 ODI World Cup.
Irfan Pathan remarked Chappell's intentions as pure but noted that his approach did not work due to the 'celebrity culture' in India.
"Australia do not have a celebrity culture, but we have that. Ideally, I would want that balance between the two cultures. But we are Indians, out mindset and ethics are different. I said this before as well, when Greg Chappell came in, his intentions were pure," Irfan Pathan told ESPNcricinfo.
"He wanted Indian cricket to go on a high and hence wanted every player to be treated equally and work in the same way. But his way was proper Australian, which did not work in India. I have huge respect for him. I told to him as well that while you want Indian cricket to grow, this aggression won't work,” Pathan added.
Although everything looks alright from the surface, if reports are to be believed, not everything is fine between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. The latter returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2024 edition and effectively ended Rohit's reign as skipper.
The five-time winners had a forgettable season, finishing at the bottom of the table, and the tense dressing room environment had a huge role to play.
"The conversation of the IPL should not be even happening even once" - Irfan Pathan on how Dravid should deal with Pandya
Apart from a dismal campaign as captain, Hardik Pandya did not fare well as a player too. The all-rounder failed to make an impact with both the bat and ball, and even his selection for the T20 World Cup squad, which would have been a no-brainer in the past, ended up hotly contested.
Irfan Pathan suggested that Rahul Dravid should not bring up Pandya's IPL campaign while he is preparing for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
"I will just say that this is my expectation from you: I want you to win matches for India. This is the roadmap, and you are an important part of the team and a match-winner. Being an all-rounder, I will say he will play a crucial role. How many fast bowlers have we taken? Just three specialist bowlers, besides Hardik and Shivam Dube," Pathan said.
"So when the time comes, these 3-4 overs will become very crucial. Remember, he will allow us to play an extra spinner in West Indies when we play day games. So this is where he comes into the picture, he needs to feel good and believe that he can make a contribution and hence the conversation of the IPL should not be even happening even once,” the all-rounder concluded.
Pandya will be seen for the first time in national colors since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where his campaign ended midway due to an injury against Bangladesh in the league stages.