It is good that Shastri has atlast realised that this combination of Dravid and Chappel is a disaster for team India. Chappel's expertise as a coach has always been questioned including those from his own country. Immediate good results are very common all over the world but the long term results show that he is a man with poor coaching skills. Taking Veeru off as an opener, sending Irfan up the order all smell of conspiracies to erase Ganguly's coterie from the team. But, the conspiracy, for all goodness, backfired on him. Remember, it's not necessary to be a great coach if you are a good player.(Ex: Kapil). Chappel should be sacked without mercy and Dravid stripped of captaincy immediately if India are to be reckoned a force in world cricket.
Shastri is absolutely right. After all the captain should decide about the team. Sehwag is an opener and Dravid bats at No. 3. The changes in the batting order has had a bad effect. Sehwag has failed miserably. Instead of trying to accomodate him in the middle order he should have been dropped. I hope next time the selectors take an additional opener. Youngsters like Robin Utthappa, Gautam Gambhir, etc. should be given chances. Greg Chapple has done lot of experimenting. It should stop now.
Aus played a better cricet and team competes as a unit and ausses fighting approcah with team spirit makes them champions. same team lost WI but they won final and dlf cup it is team effort and congrets to team Aus.
When ind lost to Aus many ppl blame dravid Even under ganguly's captincy ind failed to beat aus. rain and bizzere umpiring is responsible for ind' outset in dlf cup But dravid did not blame pitch, umpiring, rain he accepted the team failure / his batting on his shoulder in public. Not only ind batsman, even WI batsman like lara failed to perform under pressure.many ind players are playing to ensure the palce for next match.
I have no faith in the whole team. It is a fragile bunch who just cannot face a 3 pronged pace battery of any class team. We need to train our batsmen in simulating condition. For that we need to have that class of bowlers. I see no future for our team. It will be Australia always " The Champions"
I smell politics in your statements. You and Gavaskar have always placed your personal intersts above india's cricket team needs.
Are you saying, you have alternative captain of mumbai?
Only with experimentation, your weaknesses were exposed. Tendulkar, Shewag, Dravid are all just names like RS Shahstri, which do not work only on the day india needs them best. Which indian batsman works with aussie pace attack?
Chappell is doing excellent job to expose your weakness. You and your selection process is guilty to not rotate performers with big names. Keep competence and fitness as top priority. It has worked for aussies. There has to be competition to be in the team, unlike the grandfather clause you are granting to big names.
We hope Vengsarkar will standup correctly for India disagreeing with your political statements.
Before opening his big mouth, Shastri must remember how he lost us the world cup in 1992, scoring 25 off 67 balls against Australia. Has he forgotten the chappal garland around his effigy in Mumbai? India did not lose the series because of "experimenting" - that's a pathetic excuse - they were beaten by a better team. And Dravid is not the "finest middle order batsman in the world" in ODIs or tests for that matter.
I fully agree with Shastri's comments. It is really to good see Shastri like personality had come forward to put such comments and I am sure this will help the Indian team.
I do not think anyone would agree Sehwag coming at No.4 and I am really surprised how this fact is not accepted by the coach and captain.
Sehwag is meant to play his natural strokes during powerplay and only this can produce fruitful results when he kepts going.
I want to thank Shastri for his valuable comments and really appreciate this complete article. Hope Dravid and Chappell will read his comments and realize the facts in it.
I have a strong feeling that chappel's agenda is to weaken the Indian team before the world cup. We will be tired of all the experiments and resultant uncertainty, by the time world cup comes. It is difficult to digest the batting orders and team selection. Bowlers are weakening on their pace: they don't know where they will be after two weeks (in or out of team). Good luck Dravid....You may not last beyond the world cup (if you get captaincy for the world cup)
