Sachin Tendulkar reveals Greg Chappell's plot to remove Rahul Dravid from captaincy ahead of World Cup 2007

Greg Chappell (L) and Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar, in his autobiography Playing it my way, has revealed former Indian coach Greg Chappell’s plot to remove Rahul Dravid from the captaincy post months ahead of the 2007 50-over World Cup campaign. 

Writing in his book, Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket last December, expressed his shock at the former Australian great’s approach, saying that he was surprised to see Chappell’s lack of respect for the then Indian captain Dravid. 

The 41-year-old has said: "Just months before the 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.

"I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket's biggest tournament just months away. He stayed for a couple of hours, trying to convince me, before finally leaving."

Greg Chappell – A Ring Master

He has also termed the 66-year-old as a “ring master, who tried to impose his ideas on the players”. Chappell stood down from the post, after India, under Dravid, were eliminated in the group stages of the 2007 World Cup. His fall out with the senior players like Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan also played a crucial role in his exit. 

He further wrote: "Chappell seemed intent on dropping all the older players and in the process damaged the harmony of the side. On one occasion, he asked VVS Laxman to consider opening the batting. Laxman politely turned him down, saying he had tried opening in the first half of his career because he was confused, but now he was settled in the middle order and Greg should consider him as a middle-order batsman.

"Greg's response stunned us all. He told Laxman he should be careful, because making a comeback at the age of thirty-two might not be easy. In fact, I later found out that Greg had spoken to the BCCI about the need to remove the senior players, no doubt hoping to refresh the team."

Dravid quit from captaincy soon after to concentrate on his batting, which led to the team being taken over by MS Dhoni in limited overs cricket and Anil Kumble in Tests.