The Hindu : Sport : `Pick players when they are ready'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006

Sport

Sport

`Pick players when they are ready'

S. Dinakar

Chappell reposes his faith in Dravid, Tendullkar and the young brigade

— Photo: S. Subramanium

HARDLY A SPENT FORCE: Coach Greg Chappell believes there is a lot left in Sachin Tendulkar, the batsman and also the bowler. — Photo: S. Subramanium

Chennai: Greg Chappell reflected on the tour of Pakistan in Karachi. He is pleased that India bounced back in the ODIs and says the team's sights are trained on World Cup 2007. He shared his views with The Hindu on a variety of issues.

On him walking down the tough path: "One thing I know for sure from experience is that some things work and some don't. I have only one agenda and that is help produce the best Indian team possible. It is not about any individual. I am sorry if I have offended some people but this is the only way I know. And you need to pick players when they are ready and you cannot miss the moment."

One moment he would pick from the Pakistan tour: "This was after the close game in Peshawar that we lost. The practice session in Rawalpindi was pretty light-hearted. The way the boys responded to that and the energy around the place that day gave me great confidence. That was the moment when I thought this group has a bit of spirit."

On giving young players opportunities in different roles: "You don't develop players by playing them in the nets. They have to be subjected to the heat of the battle in different roles. We are seeking balance, variation and flexibility. The bigger picture - World Cup 2007 - is down the road. We need to develop Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh as bowlers, get more bowling from Virender Sehwag, and continue using Tendulkar with the ball. Three of our bowlers can bat."

On achieving the right balance in the Test side: "We cannot play against England expecting Rahul (Dravid) to be a stop-gap opener. It is not a long-term option and I think that cost us the Karachi Test."

Need for strike pacemen in Tests: "In Tests we need to look at different bowlers for different conditions. History tells you that strike bowlers are important. We learnt a few lessons from the Karachi defeat."

On Tendulkar's outstanding display in the ODIs: "He had the steely look in his eyes when he came out to bat in the second innings at Karachi. He counter-attacked Shoaib Akhtar but got out to a good delivery. I thought then that there were runs around the corner for Tendulkar. He is far from being a spent force. There is a need for the media to be balanced in its views."

On Ganguly's future with the Indian team: "It is just a matter of getting the right balance and the right group of people together to give us our best chance. Whether Sourav is in the side or not will depend on a group of people."

On the metamorphosis in Yuvraj's batting: "He is a gifted player. He has been on the fringes for a long time and probably his confidence had been damaged a bit along the way. We have obviously done some work with him on his mental approach to batting. Which, in turn, has contributed to his footwork and balance. But the biggest thing is having faith in him and letting him know that he is not on trial. Trust is a two-way street."

On Dhoni's evolution: He is a precocious player. Dhoni's innings in Lahore, under those circumstances, was exceptional. Not just the physical aspect of it, but also the mental. He hits the ball in areas that normal players don't. So the field placements have to change."

On Dravid's captaincy: Captaincy is a lot about confidence and intuition. You go with your gut instinct a lot. Some of his field placements and bowling changes have been excellent. His courage and leadership earns him great respect from the players.

The whiff of youth and R.P. Singh, Suresh Raina and S. Sreesanth: R.P. Singh is a little bit quicker than most people expect and gets the odd ball to bounce a little bit more. Raina is an optimist. At this level, you don't need people who are expecting the worst. Sreesanth has bowled well and he added to the group.

On Irfan Pathan's bowling: He is a swing bowler, a variety bowler. Physically, he is not designed to be a fast bowler. If we try to do that, we would destroy him.

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