Mumbai: Former India coach Greg Chappell has written, in newly-released book on Rahul Dravid, that had the retired batting great received the same support that he gave other captains, he would have been the country’s most successful skipper.
Chappell wrote that despite Dravid guiding the Indian team to a number of victories, his success was not enjoyed by some of the members of the side. It should be remembered that Dravid and Chappell were captain and coach, respectively, during India’s miserable 2007 World Cup campaign.
“Sadly the success of the team was not universally enjoyed within the team. Some individuals felt threatened by the new world order and appeared to work against Rahul,” Chappell has written in the book ‘Rahul Dravid – Timeless Steel’, which was launched on Wednesday. “Had he been given the same wholehearted support in the role that he had given others, I think the recent history of Indian cricket may have been very different and he could have gone on to become the most successful Indian captain ever,” he added.
The former Australian skipper recalled how Dravid led India to nine ODI wins in a row by inserting the opposition in after winning the toss.
“To learn how to get better at chasing a target, Rahul kept asking the opposition to bat first, no matter the conditions. Under his leadership, India won nine ODIs in a row against Pakistan and England, and went on to complete a world record of 17 consecutive wins batting second.”
Stating that the same approach had helped India win Test matches abroad as well, Chappell wrote, “A similar approach to Test cricket brought about India’s first overseas victory in the West Indies for 35 years and a first-ever Test victory in South Africa, which could have been turned into a series win if the team had batted better in the second innings in the final Test in Cape Town.”
Chappell’s reference is to India’s Test series victory (1-0 in the four-match series) in the Caribbean in 2006 followed by its maiden win in Johannesburg’s opening Test of the 2006-07 series, before Dravid’s team lost the next two games.
Chappell, who had a good rapport as coach with the Bangalorean, in sharp contrast to his stormy relationship with Sourav Ganguly, has written he was fond of Dravid.
“Men don’t say these things, but I have a genuine affection for Rahul Dravid,” Chappell has written.
Stating that Dravid gave everything on the cricket field, Chappell feels that Dravid was a much better captain than he is judged as.”He was an excellent deputy, in that he gave whole-hearted support without ever thinking he might be better than the incumbent, and when he got the job he was a much better captain than he will ever be credited with.”
Chappell has stated in his book that Dravid never took rash decisions as a player or uttered ill-advised words and possessed excellent leadership skills.
“His propensity to think things through may have meant that he was always going to appear conservative tactically, but going by that would be to underestimate his ability to take calculated risks,” Chappell has writtenin praise of Dravid’s leadership style. (PTI)