Ever since coach Greg Chappell's interview to a British daily centering on Sourav Ganguly appeared on Wednesday, the first day of the Nagpur Test, the Indian players looked a disturbed lot.
The Australian may have churned out remarkable results with the team but his propensity to comment on individual players, mainly Ganguly, has brought a feeling of insecurity among the players -- who dread the same fate as Ganguly's if they fail to put up a decent show.
This forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to "reprimand" Chappell and shoot off a letter to him during the Test, asking him to refrain from making comments about individual players publicly. By the time BCCI president Sharad Pawar met him late on Saturday evening for about 20 minutes, Chappell had received the message.
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah told HT on Sunday that "the chapter was closed then and there". (Even so, Pawar too told Chappell not to comment about any individual player to the media.)
Talking about Ganguly, Chappell had told the Guardian, "What I didn't realise at that stage was how utterly important to his life and finances being captain was."
Shah, board vice-president Shashank Manohar and the players also met Pawar. "The four senior players (Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag) met Pawar for about 45 minutes," said Shah. "They're happy with Chappell. They wanted the matter to end then and there, and looked pleased with the meeting."
{{/usCountry}}Shah, board vice-president Shashank Manohar and the players also met Pawar. "The four senior players (Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag) met Pawar for about 45 minutes," said Shah. "They're happy with Chappell. They wanted the matter to end then and there, and looked pleased with the meeting."
{{/usCountry}}Shah said the latest Chappell-Ganguly controversy had been blown out of proportion. “What applies to Chappell, holds good for Ganguly too,” he said. “He should also not go to the media and talk about individuals.”