After months of debate and constant speculation, India finally has a successor to John Wright. The 57-year-old from Unley, South Australia, who everyone expected would take over, did so on Friday. Greg Chappell is India's new cricket coach, having easily outgunned Tom Moody (popularly believed to be the players' favourite), surprise contender Desmond Haynes and local hope Mohinder Amarnath.
Interestingly, BCCI president Ranbir Mahendra, who made the announcement and dubbed it unanimous, said the players had not been consulted about the decision.
It will be interesting to see over the next few months not only how Chappell relates to India's cricketing stars but also how he handles the vagaries of those who run the BCCI. He is, by all accounts, a professional and it is difficult to find a more unprofessionally run organisation that wields so much power than the BCCI.
Of course, the BCCI's clout is one of the reasons the former Aussie skipper wanted the job. He said India was the epicentre of international cricket today. "I wanted to be here because India is the driving force in world cricket off the field and I hope to help make it the driving force on the field," he said.
It will be difficult to see Chappell in the mould of Wright. Unlike the reserved Kiwi, who would not or could not take on the powerful Indian cricketing establishment much as he said he wanted to in private, Chappell has both the stature and the personality to do. He is suave, very media-savvy and known to be a shrewd tactician and can probably be ruthlessly determined.
{{/usCountry}}It will be difficult to see Chappell in the mould of Wright. Unlike the reserved Kiwi, who would not or could not take on the powerful Indian cricketing establishment much as he said he wanted to in private, Chappell has both the stature and the personality to do. He is suave, very media-savvy and known to be a shrewd tactician and can probably be ruthlessly determined.
{{/usCountry}}Wright lived on pizzas and beer and repeatedly expressed a wish to get back to his family and farm because he did not want to transport them to a foreign land. Chappell, on the other hand, is preparing to take the "madness of India" to his heart.
He says he is "lucky" he can make his home here with no major foreseeable problems. "I wanted to be involved again because of a simple reason," he said. "I love this game and am still enthusiastic about it. I am lucky because my children are grown up and have their own careers mapped out. And most important, my wife is supportive of this assignment and is very excited about making India her home for the next few years."