The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : A litmus test for Chappell

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 11, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

A litmus test for Chappell

Sports reporter

KOLKATA: Former Indian batsman Mohinder Amarnath feels that the ongoing series in Pakistan will test the capabilities of Indian coach Greg Chappell.

Amarnath, who was in the city to conduct a seminar on coaching organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal, said that the Pakistan series would serve as a litmus test for the new coach.

"I think the testing time (for Chappell) is coming now. You will have to wait and see how the team responds in the rest of the matches in Pakistan," he said.

Addressing a news conference on Friday, Amarnath started off by criticising the concept of having foreign coaches. "I'm the last person who will encourage appointing foreign coaches. I believe in the capabilities of my own countrymen," he said.

Enough talent

The former all-rounder added that there is enough talent in the country and good coaches will come up if the BCCI puts itself to the task of properly utilising the services of former players.

"Why do we underestimate our own people? An Indian coach will be better positioned when it comes to the question of language, emotion and feelings of our own players," he said.

According to Amarnath, there was no need for the bowling coach to travel with the team. Instead, he preferred the trainer to just assist their preparation at home. "If there are too many coaches, it will create confusion. But occasional specialist help for the fast bowlers is not a bad idea," he said.

Not in good taste

He also argued that Rahul Dravid's appeal against Pakistan skipper Inzamum-ul-Haq for obstructing the field was "not in the right spirit of the game".

"I also had a similar experience as a player, but I feel it was not in good taste," he said, recalling his dismissal in similar circumstances during a Nehru Cup match against Sri Lanka in 1989.

"If you do it as the captain, the retaliation is going to come sometime in the future," he warned.

He had words of consolation for batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. "For more than 15 years, he has given us tremendous excitement with his batting prowess. I do not think this is the end of him as a batsman. There are ups and downs in everyone's career," he said. "Remember the kind of pressure under which he plays. We expect him to score a hundred every time he goes to bat," Amarnath said, adding that Indian star will make a comeback.

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