Random Cricket Photos Post 74



#RandomCricketPhotosThatMakeMeHappy

It must not have been easy being in Greg Chappell's shoes in the years from 2005-2007. Easily one of the most reviled characters in Indian cricket, Chappell has been hated so much by so many in India that even when he said something sensible, it fell on deaf ears. After all, how can a figure as 'wrong' as Chappell say anything right? However, if one keeps aside his/her bias for the Australian, what he wrote about Sehwag in a 2012 article, doesn't seem to be too off the mark.

"To say that Viru was one of the great frustrations of my time with the team is an understatement," Chappell wrote. "Sadly, he continues to disappoint and is in danger of squandering his God-given talent. The person who is least likely to be fazed by all of this is Virender himself.

"This often happens to those with the greatest gift," Chappell wrote. "Because he had never had to work hard at developing such a skill, Viru did not know how to dedicate himself to disciplined training. It was only during periods of relative poor form that he was prepared to spend time getting things back on track. As soon as he made some runs he slipped back into old habits and appeared content to practise in the same old profligate way; until his form evaporated again."

"Strangely, for someone who only wants to play the game on his terms, he harbours a desire to captain his country," he wrote. "I have no doubt that he could do it for he understands the game well, but what he fails to grasp is that with the honour comes responsibility. In fact, the responsibility to show personal leadership has to come before one can earn the higher honour. He wants the prize, but has been unwilling to pay the price."

Having watched Virat Kohli do what he has done with his body and to Indian cricket by setting an example in front of others, it seems Chappell happened to Indian cricket a decade before he should have happened. Looking back, maybe if it wasn't for the Chappell episode, Indian cricket wouldn't have come out of its comfort zone.

Someday, it would be great to know Chappell's side of the story, for failed experiments often make for better stories than the successful ones filled with cliches.

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