I am not a bully

India cricket coach Greg Chappell talks about how the term ‘experimentation’ is being used as a derogatory term against the team, the danger of relying on just one player and his relationship with Rahul Dravid in this interview with Vijay Tagore

Have you had a chance to analyse the team’s performance in the Champions Trophy?

I would say it was disappointing. But there has been an overreaction to the loss, just as there was when we were winning. The truth lies somewhere in between.

What went wrong?

I think we were not quite ready. The loss of (cricket) in the Sri Lankan tour was a big blow to our preparation. I was happy with our performance against Australia, though. Unfortunately, at Mohali, our batting was good but inexperience in our bowling exposed us. But the game that hurt us the most was the Ahmedabad game (against the WI). We did not perform as well in the areas which we identified as out target areas. The 11-day break between the first and the second game was horrendous. We did most of the things right against the West Indies but we did not finish it off.

We haven’t been doing that of late — finishing matches off.

But we’re not far away. In Malaysia, we had the highest score in the tournament against the West Indies. Then the rain came 20 overs into their innings. They had a flying start which put them ahead of the Duckworth Lewis requirement. But I thought 309 was a winning total.

Cricket is a game of failures. Don Bradman batted 82 times in Test cricket and he only had 29 centuries. He failed 53 times out of 82. And he is the best by 100 per cent over the next person.

Dealing with failure defines you as a player. The best lessons you learn are from the bad days. So as an individual and as a team you have to have some bad days. You just have to minimise the bad days.

People conveniently forget that we won the first series in 35 years in the West Indies. That was a great achievement, particularly in the backdrop of losing the one-day series. The Test series could have been a disaster. But the resilience they showed was fantastic. As it was in Pakistan after we lost the Test in Karachi. It was a very even Test series in which we finished on the wrong side.

How is our preparation for the World cup?

We know what we need by the time we go to the West Indies. We’re working against time. By the time we finish the two one-day series in India next year, we will have completed the preparation. These tournaments are important. There are periods like late last year when we had 18 wins in 22 games. But we can’t afford to have just 2-3 players perform. We need everybody to do well on a consistent basis. Even the best team in the world is not guaranteed to win a World Cup. Teams that make the semifinals will be good teams. That is the phase we want to achieve in the World Cup.

How do you look at our chances in South Africa?

We head off to South Africa with an opportunity to take our cricket further and make us consistent. We would like to win the one-day series and the Test series but we can’t afford to set that as our goal. The goal has to be five good one-day games and three good Test matches. If we do that, we give ourselves the best chance to win matches and the series. No matter what the result is, we’ll be looking at the underlying performance of the individuals in the key areas. If they improve, it will be good, but if they fail, they will have serious questions to answer.

There was no camp before the South Africa tour.

We have got more camps than the US army this year. You can’t keep having camps. Sometimes the best thing to do is to get away from cricket. One more camp could have destroyed us.

There has been a lot of talk of experimentation

Firstly, the word experimentation is being used as a weapon to beat us. It is being used as a derogatory term. But I can understand that. Everybody is not privy to inside information. If Australia won, it was because they had the most flexibility and depth in all areas. Every team in the world is trying to achieve that. The only way you can do that is by giving players an opportunity to try and expand their knowledge, experiences and thinking.

If we want Irfan Pathan to think himself as a batsman, we have to give him enough opportunity. If we want Virender Sehwag to think as a bowler, we have to give him enough opportunities. If you want five specialist bowlers in ODIs, one of them has to bat in the top six. I don’t see anyone talk about Australia’s experiment with Shane Watson as an opening batsman and an opening bowler, Hussey, batting at No. 4, 7 and 6. I don’t see any talk of experiments when West Indies opened with Chanderpaul as opener and Bravo at No.3. That is because they are not experiments.

We’re not experimenting. It is well-thought through and well planned, and it is agreed to by the management and the selection panel.

Has there been long term planning for the World Cup?

When we started at looking at the big picture, obviously we had to involve the selection panel in it. The selectors were very supportive. The role of Kiran More was very good. I’ve been very impressed with Dilip Vengsarkar in the conversations we had. He understands what a good cricket team looks like and is very supportive of the bigger picture.

To be quite honest, I’m quite happy with the development of the group. I’m not saying that we’ve identified the final 15 for the World Cup. That is still to be decided but bulk of this group will be there at the World Cup.

What are the concern areas?

We’ve identified the types of bowlers we need in the West Indies as well as the types of batsmen. The period from 20 to 40 overs is very important in the new structure of three power plays. Everybody is struggling to maintain the momentum in those overs. So the type of batsmen you need should have the ability to hit through the field, not just over the field. If you rely on only over-the-field shots, you end up making many mistakes and losing wickets. And the teams losing wickets in those overs are losing the game. One of the reasons why we had Sehwag in the middle order and Rahul Dravid batting on top is to identify the type of players we need in certain positions.

That’s where Sri Lanka was a big loss for us. Those were the conditions that are likely to be in the West Indies in March next year. We tried a few things in Malaysia but wickets did not suit what we were trying to do. We found some things out. We need power players in those middle overs.

What is wrong with Irfan Pathan?

Shane Watson is 25 and is still developing. We expect Irfan Pathan to do better. He is only 22. Get real. This kid is going through a tough phase. We should give him enough opportunities.

Wasim Akram is willing to help him.

It is fabulous of Wasim to offer help. I’m comfortable with that. That will be fantastic. From time to time, the players can do well with outside help too.

Even before the team leaves for South Africa, it is being written off.

That is good. Let people write us off. If we are worried about what people say, we will be in serious trouble. It is a great opportunity for the Indian team to make a statement. If the expectations are low, it is easy for us to go above them. I’ve no problem with that. I think we can do well in South Africa. I’ve utmost faith in this team.

Ravi Shastri says Sachin will be the key player.

If we are relying on one player, we are in serious trouble. We need all 16 players to perform well. I think we’ve got to get away from the super star view. We need 3 or 4 guys to do well in each game. Not one guy.

Do you agree that Sachin is not playing freely?

Sachin is always under that kind of pressure. I’m not going to comment on him because it will be taken out of context.

Losing Yuvraj is a blow?

Losing Yuvraj is a big blow for him and a big blow for us. But it is not the end of the world. It will give opportunity to other players. We might unearth someone and it could be a blessing for us. Hopefully Yuvraj will be back for the World Cup and we will have gained something from what is now thought of as a disaster.

Dilip has said you should not play kho-kho.

Glenn McGrath slipped on a ball and was out of three Tests. We are not going to do same things day in and day out. We have to do something different to avoid monotony. Doing same thing will dull our minds. They enjoy playing little games. We’ve played more risky games in the practice. Yuvraj could have done in that field.

I shudder every time soccer ball comes out of the bag. But our players love it. I can ban them from playing soccer. On match days, we do. Life is full opportunities to hurt oneself. But we’ll continue to play games and kho-kho might be one of them. We won’t stop everything. I don’t know if that game of kho-kho was responsible for Yuvraj’s injury but I certainly take Dilip’s point into consideration.

Is your equation with Dilip as good as it was Kiran More?

Each selector is different from the other. The fact of the matter is they are all cricket people. Dilip has different thoughts to Kiran but when we sit together for a similar goal, there will not be much difficulty. Most selection meetings, anyway, are about two or three people.

There is talk that you are bullying Dravid.

It is an insult to both of us. People who know us both don’t say that. My philosophy is, was and will be that in a cricket team the captain is the most important person. The coach’s role is to give inputs, create an environment and training programmes to give the team the best chance on the game day to succeed. We don’t always agree but we understand each other. On game days, the captain has a say. Everything we do is agreed to by the captain and the leadership group. If I and Rahul have a difference in opinion on how things are to be run, we talk. If it is a coaching point, I’ll try to convince him. If he is adamant, then we don’t do it. If it is training, I’ll have a say but when it comes to game day, the team, batting order, bowling changes, field placement — the last say is from Rahul. If we have a difference of opinion — and we have not had many — I’ll say it is your team and you have to be happy with what you take on the field. You decide. It is the only way it can be.

Rahul and I are strong individuals and have strong views on a lot of things. The relationship is a very healthy one with both able to say what we believe in, knowing fully well that at the end of the discussion we will still respect each other’s opinion.

You ranted and raved in Ahmedabad.

One of the reasons I spoke to the players on the day before the Ahmedabad match was to avoid a low energy training session. It was shown on television. It was not a tirade from the coach. In my 18 months, I have done that only 3 times. I don’t believe in bullying or forcing people to do things that they are not capable of doing. It was timely reminder of things they are to do. The environment in the dressing room is critical to the performance. If I’m ranting and raving, it has a negative impact on the players. I don’t believe in ranting. I believe in nurturing. But when someone needs to be spoken to, I’ll do that by taking him aside.  I was employed because I was an Australian and not an Indian. I’m aware of the cultural differences. I don’t hurt anyone.

Dilip has been talking of the return of senior players. Ganguly scored a century recently.

There is a chance yes. I am not going to speculate about that. I respect his opinion. Who will play in the World Cup will be decided by a group of people of which I’m a member.

The BCCI has stood by you.

I appreciate their support. Criticism and tough comments comes with the territory. I’ve no problems with that. I think it is healthy within the BCCI for people to ask questions. I would be worried if they are not questioning.

There’s talk that you will take up the job of Australia’s cricket coach.

I’m emotionally involved in producing the best team for India. That is my only goal. Australia is looking for a coach and, being a coach, my name is making the rounds. So, at the end of the World Cup, there will be people who will decide whether I should continue.