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Impossible for Greg to change system
If coach Chappell is getting hot under the collar because of indiscipline and mismanagement, one sympathises with him.
If coach Chappell is getting hot under the collar because of indiscipline and mismanagement, one sympathises with him. As someone used to order and efficiency, he must be baffled by the chalta hai, theek hai, dekhenge attitude of India.
The challenge before him is to reconcile Aussie professionalism with India's passion, cold reason with raw emotion, solid organisation with uncontrolled chaos. In Australia, things are clear-cut and neat, Indian cricket is vastly different. It is not possible for Chappell to change the system, turn it around. So the only way out is to adjust and adapt and go with the flow. Or ……
Early in his career, John Wright understood that coaching India is not just a matter of cricket but a massive cultural ask as well. Just as tourists visiting India must come to terms with cows on the streets, contaminated water, people jumping red lights and pissing on roads, cricket experts from abroad have to make allowances for the unique realities of Indian cricket.
In this context, a minor mess at a press conference is no major issue, it happens all the time. How does it matter, some cynics may ask, if the damn thing is delayed, or whether it takes place at all! Will heavens fall, will the sensex collapse or the price of oil come down? Kya hoga?
Yet, whatever non-believers say, small things make a big difference in cricket. It matters that players assemble on time, that preparatory camps do not get cancelled because grounds are not available.
It is important that players wear the right clothes to official functions and maintain team identity, not trash it repeatedly.
These things may appear small and insignificant but they count because team momentum and morale hinges on them. A quick look at the functioning of top teams indicates that their success does not always rest on doing anything spectacular or producing magic, it is a direct result of getting the nuts and bolts right.
More matches are won by sharp fielding, smart running between wickets and tight bowling than a big innings or a deadly bowling spell. All good batsmen know that batting is about avoiding loose shots and grinding the bowler into the pitch.
Likewise, the trick in bowling is not to offer gifts, making batsmen sweat for every single.
The Board is talking tough, there is talk of 'strict action', but how this ultimately plays out remains to be seen. Such glitches, however unfortunate, have a limited shelf life and like news headlines, tend to get pushed into the background quickly.
