Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 3:45 PM
Subject: FW: Greg Chappell's E-Mail Bomb


Dear Mr. President (Board Of Control Of Cricket In India)


Due to comments made by Mr Sourav Ganguly during the press conference
following his innings in the recently completed Test match in Bulawayo
and
the subsequent media speculation I would like to make my position clear
on
two points.


1. At no stage did I ask Mr Ganguly to step down from the captaincy of
the
Indian team and;


2. At no stage have I threatened to resign my position as Indian team
coach.


Mr Ganguly came to me following the recently completed tri-series of
one-day matches here in Zimbabwe and asked me to tell him honestly where
he
stood as a player in my view. I told him that I thought he was
struggling
as a player and that it was affecting his ability to lead the team
effectively and that the pressure of captaincy was affecting his ability
to
play to his potential. I also told him that his state of mind was
fragile
and it showed in the way that he made decisions on and off the field in
relation to the team, especially team selection. A number of times
during
the tri-series the tour selectors had chosen a team and announced it to
the
group only for Sourav to change his mind on the morning of the game and
want to change the team.


On at least one occasion he did change the team and on the morning of
the
final I had to talk him out of making another last-minute change that I
believe would have destroyed team morale and damaged the mental state of
the individuals concerned. I also told Sourav that his nervous state was
affecting the team in other ways as he was prone to panic during
pressure
situations in games and that his nervous demeanour was putting undue
pressure on the rest of the team. His nervous pacing of the rooms during
our batting in the final plus his desire to change the batting order
during
our innings in the final had also contributed to nervousness in the
players
waiting to go in to bat. His reluctance to bat first in games I
suggested
was also giving wrong signals to the team and the opposition and his
nervousness at the crease facing bowlers like Shane Bond from NZ was
also
affecting morale in the dressing room.


On the basis of this and other observations and comments from
players
in the squad about the unsettling effect Sourav was having on the group
I
suggested to Sourav that he should consider stepping down from the
captaincy at the end of the tour in the interests of the team and in his
own best interests if he wanted to prolong his playing career. I told
him
of my own experiences toward the end of my career and cited other
players
such as Border, Taylor and Steve Waugh, all of whom struggled with
batting
form toward the end of their tenure as Australian captain.


We discussed other issues in relation to captaincy and the time and
effort
it took that was eating into his mental reserves and making it difficult
to
prepare properly for batting in games. He commented that he had enjoyed
being free of those responsibilities in the time that he was in Sri
Lanka
following his ban from international cricket and that he would consider
my
suggestion.


I also raised the matter of selection for the first Test with Sourav and
asked him where he thought he should bat. He said 'number 5'. I told him
that he might like to consider opening in the Test as the middle order
was
going to be a tight battle with Kaif and Yuvraj demanding selection.
Sourav
asked me if I was serious. I said it was something to be considered, but
it
had to be his decision.


The following day Sourav batted in the match against Zimbabwe 'A' team
in
the game in Mutare. I am not sure of the exact timing of events because
I
was in the nets with other players when Sourav went in to bat, but the
new
ball had either just been taken or was imminent when I saw Sourav
walking
from the field holding his right arm. I assumed he had been hit and made
my
way to the players' area where Sourav was receiving treatment from the
team
physiotherapist, John Gloster.


When I enquired as to what had happened Sourav said he had felt a click
in
his elbow as he played a ball through the leg side and that he thought
he
should have it investigated. Sourav had complained of pain to his elbow
at
various stages of the one-day series, but he had resisted having any
comprehensive investigation done and, from my observation, had been
spasmodic in his treatment habits, often not using ice-packs for the arm
that had been prepared for him by John Gloster. I suggested, as had John
Gloster, that we get some further tests done immediately. Sourav
rejected
these suggestions and said he would be 'fine'. When I queried what he
meant
by 'fine' he said he would be fit for the Test match. I then queried why
then was it necessary to be off the field now. He said that he was just
taking 'precautions'.


Rather than make a scene with other players and officials in the
vicinity I
decided to leave the matter and observe what Sourav would do from that
point on. After the loss of Kaif, Yuvraj and Karthik to the new ball,
Sourav returned to the crease with the ball now around 20 overs old. He
struggled for runs against a modest attack and eventually threw his
wicket
away trying to hit one of the spinners over the leg side.


The next day I enquired with a number of the players as to what they had
thought of Sourav's retirement. The universal response was that it was
'just Sourav' as they recounted a list of times when Sourav had suffered
from mystery injuries that usually disappeared as quickly as they had
come.
This disturbed me because it confirmed for me that he was in a fragile
state of mind and it was affecting the mental state of other members of
the
squad.


When we arrived in Bulawayo I decided I needed to ask Sourav if he had
over-played the injury to avoid the danger period of the new ball as it
had
appeared to me and others within the touring party that he had protected
himself at the expense of others. He denied the suggestion and asked why
he
would do that against such a modest attack. I said that he was the only
one
who could answer that question.


I was so concerned about the affect that Sourav's actions were having on
the team that I decided I could not wait until selection meeting that
evening to inform him that I had serious doubts about picking him for
the
first Test.


I explained that, in my view, I felt we had to pick Kaif and Yuvraj
following their good form in the one-day series and that Sehwag,
Gambhir,
Laxman and Dravid had to play. He said that his record was better than
Kaif
and Yuvraj and that they had not proved themselves in Test cricket. I
countered with the argument that they had to be given a chance to prove
themselves on a consistent basis or we would never know. I also said
that
their form demanded that they be selected now.


Sourav asked me whether I thought he should be captain of the team. I
said
that I had serious doubts that he was in the right frame of mind to do
it.
He asked me if I thought he should step down. I said that it was not my
decision to make, that only he could make that decision, but if he did
make
that decision he had to do it in the right manner or it would have even
more detrimental effects than if he didn't stand down. I said that now
was
not the time to make the decision but that we should discuss it at the
selection meeting to be held later in the day.


Sourav then said that if I didn't want him to be captain that he would
inform Rahul Dravid that was going to stand down. I reiterated that it
was
not my decision to make but he should give it due consideration under
the
circumstances but not to do it hastily. At that point Sourav went to
Rahul
and the two of them conferred briefly and then Sourav left the field and
entered the dressing room. At that stage I joined the start of the
training
session.


A short time later Mr Chowdhary came on to the field and informed me
that
Sourav had told him that I did not want him as captain and that Sourav
wanted to leave Zimbabwe immediately if he wasn't playing. I then joined
Mr
Chowdhary and Rahul Dravid in the dressing room where we agreed that
this
was not the outcome that any of us wanted and that the ramifications
would
not be in the best interests of the team.


We then spent some time with Sourav and eventually convinced him that he
should stay on as captain for the two Tests and then consider his
future.
In my view it was not an ideal solution but it was better than the
alternative of him leaving on a bad note. I believe he has earned the
right
to leave in a fitting manner. We all agreed that this was a matter that
should stay between us and should not, under any circumstances, be
discussed with the media.


The matter remained quiet until the press conference after the game when
a
journalist asked Sourav if he had been asked to step down before the
Test.
Sourav replied that he had but he did not want to elaborate and make an
issue of it. I was then called to the press conference where I was asked
if
I knew anything of Sourav being asked to step down before the game. I
replied that a number of issues had been raised regarding selection but
as
they were selection matters I did not wish to make any further comment.


Apart from a brief interview on ESPN before which I emphasized that I
did
not wish to discuss the issue because it was a selection matter I have
resisted all other media approaches on the matter.


Since then various reports have surfaced that I had threatened to
resign. I
do not know where that rumour has come from because I have spoken to no
one
in regard to this because I have no intention of resigning. I assume
that
some sections of the media, being starved of information, have made up
their own stories.


At the completion of the Test match I was approached by VVS Laxman with
a
complaint that Sourav had approached him on the eve of the Test saying
that
I had told Sourav that I did not want Laxman in the team for Test
matches.
I denied that I had made such a remark to Sourav, or anybody else for
that
matter, as, on the contrary, I saw Laxman as an integral part of the
team.
He asked how Sourav could have said what he did. I said that the only
way
we could go to the bottom of the matter was to speak to Sourav and have
him
repeat the allegation in front of me.


I arranged for a meeting with the two of them that afternoon. The
meeting
took place just after 6pm in my room at the Rainbow Hotel in Bulawayo. I
told Sourav that Laxman had come to me complaining that Sourav had made
some comments to Laxman prior to the Test. I asked Sourav if he would
care
to repeat the comment in my presence. Sourav then rambled on about how I
had told him that I did not see a place for Laxman in one-day cricket,
something that I had discussed with Sourav and the selection panel and
about which I had spoken to Laxman at the end of the Sri Lankan tour.


Sourav mentioned nothing about the alleged conversation regarding Laxman
and Test cricket even when I pushed him on it later in the discussion.
As
we had to leave for a team function we ended the conversation without
Sourav adequately explaining his comments to Laxman.


Again, this is not an isolated incident because I have had other players
come to me regarding comments that Sourav had made to them that purports
to
be comments from me to Sourav about the particular player. In each case
the
comments that Sourav has passed on to the individual are figments of
Sourav's imagination. One can only assume that he does it to unnerve the
individual who, in each case, has been a middle order batsman.


Sourav has missed the point of my discussions with him on this matter.
It
has less to do with his form than it does with his attitude toward the
team. Everything he does is designed to maximise his chance of success
and
is usually detrimental to someone else's chances.


Despite meeting with him in Mumbai after his appointment as captain and
speaking with him about these matters and his reluctance to do the
preparation and training that is expected of everyone else in the squad
he
continues to set a bad example.


Greg King's training reports continue to show Sourav as the person who
does
the least fitness and training work based on the criterion that has been
developed by the support staff to monitor the work load of all the
players.


We have also developed parameters of batting, bowling, fielding and
captaincy that we believe embodies the 'Commitment to Excellence' theme
that I espoused at my interview and Sourav falls well below the
acceptable
level in all areas. I will be pleased to present this documentation when
I
meet with the special committee in Mumbai later this month.


I can assure you sir that all my actions in this matter, and all others
since my appointment, have been with the aim of improving the team
performance toward developing a team that will represent India with
distinctions in Test match and one-day cricket.


As I said to you during our meeting in Colombo, I have serious
reservations
about the attitude of some players and about Sourav and his ability to
take
this team to a new high, and none of the things he has done since his
reappointment has caused me to change my view. In fact, it has only
served
to confirm that it is time for him to move on and let someone else build
their team toward the 2007 World Cup.


This team has been made to be fearful and distrusting by the rumour
mongering and deceit that is Sourav's modus operandi of divide and rule.
Certain players have been treated with favour, all of them bowlers,
while
others have been shunted up and down the order or left out of the team
to
suit Sourav's whims.


John Wright obviously allowed this to go on to the detriment of the
team. I
am not prepared to sit back and allow this to continue or we will get
the
same results we have been seeing for some time now.


It is time that all players were treated with fairness and equity and
that
good behaviours and attitudes are rewarded at the selection table rather
than punished.


I can assure you of my very best intentions.


Yours sincerely,


Greg Chappell MBE

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Ashish