Slams BCCI officials for raising hue and cry over Australia’s presence at the Jaipur academy.
Slams BCCI officials for raising hue and cry over Australia’s presence at the Jaipur academy.
JAIPUR: Greg Chappell took potshots at Indian Cricket Board officials for raising a hue and cry over Rajasthan Cricket Association providing its facilities to the visiting Australian team, saying the game of cricket is all about sharing.
“No one should think that they solely own the wisdom of the game and try and keep it to themselves. The game is all about sharing information. Australians are head coaches of four or five countries now. Kolkata Knight Riders at the moment are training at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane and lots of young Indians have benefited from that academy. We provide any facilities in Australia to anyone including Indians when they tour Australia. We are keen to share ideas and will continue to do that,” he told a press conference on Saturday.
The former India coach said he was amused by the talks of he sharing the Team India secrets. “I am also flattered by the fact that people think that I wield a magic wand and can change things overnight. In Test success is all about doing hard work and doing basics right. I was just trying to make sure the (Australian) team has these. People are being unduly nervous and concerned about things not important. Australia and India have played a lot against each other in recent times. The Indians must be having the footages of Australian players as much as the Australians have for Indians.” He added: “There are no secrets whatsover between the two teams now. I believe the Indian players must also been amused by the talks going around in the last few days.”
Chappell also dismissed talks of Indians having lost the home advantage after the Australian team got the facilities to acclimatise with Indian conditions by having a camp here ahead of the Test series. “I don’t think just four or five days of practice will make Indians losing the home advantage. Cricket is not rocket science, it is pretty basic.”
He warned the Indians not to think that Ricky Ponting is under pressure to perform in India where he has a poor record. “There is not much wrong in Ponting. He got a great record all around the world. He is conscious of the fact that his record here is not so good as compared to other countries.”
Chappell spoke at length about his fond memories of Indian cricket when he was at the helm of affairs and about Sachin Tendulkar’s impending world record. “With all the noise being made, the experience I got in the last three years working in India is inestimable. It’s been a wonderful experience and it’s enjoyable for the most part. I have great regard for India and great regard for Indian cricket. As far as Sachin is concerned, I and all Australian players have great respect for him and recognise what a champion batsman he is and if he overtakes Lara’s record we will be the first ones to congratulate him.”
On the retirement of Indian Fab Four, he said the players themselves should be given the right to decide when to quit the game. “From the point of view of retirement each individual player has the right to make his own decision. When you do that, you take the risk of selectors might take a decision before you make your own decision. That’s life and that’s the way it should be,” he said.
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