Bedi blasts Chappell's tactics

NEW DELHI: Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell should introspect his performance vis-à-vis his policy of experimentation, says former captain Bishan Singh Bedi.

"We don't need to ask him (Chappell) what he is doing. I think he should ask himself whether he is satisfied with what he is doing and where will all these things lead us to," legendary spinner Bedi said.

"I am frustrated with all these things. I think the time has come when Chappell should stop all these nonsense and concentrate on the South African tour and the 2007 World Cup," said Bedi on Monday night.

Chappell has made batsmen bat at different positions and given opportunities to both youngsters in an effort to build a team for the World Cup to be held in the West Indies.

Critics have called the former Australia captain's move experimentation, while he calls it flexibility. India has won some matches, mostly at home, and lost some since Chappell took over the reins in May last year.

Lately, India has lost most of the matches, notably in the DLF Cup triangular series in Kuala Lumpur where the team failed to make it to the final, while the home side crashed out before the semi-finals in the ongoing Champions Trophy.

Bedi also slammed Chappell for his decision to make the players do unusual exercises on eve of matches.

"It is so ridiculous that on the eve of a crucial match we play kho-kho and eventually miss a crucial player in a freak accident," he said, referring to Yuvraj Singh who injured his knee Saturday and missed the match against Australia.

It was a do-or-die match for India as well as Australia, which the later won quite easily in Mohali, while 24-year-old left-hander Yuvraj will miss five-match one-day international series in South Africa beginning Nov 19.

Bedi also slammed the players, saying that they did not show the commitment and money was responsible to a large extent.

"The influx of money into the game has resulted in a lack of commitment from the guys," he charged.

"Time has come that the players should stand tall and deliver otherwise the South Africans will whitewash us in the up coming series," Bedi warned.

Bedi said the Indian team's mantra should be "stick to the basics".

The left-arm spinner is satisfied with the 16-member team selected for the South African tour. But he felt that the selectors should have picked young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

"The selectors are ruining his (Chawla) career. He is a great find for Indian cricket and he should be given more chances so that we have another Harbhajan Singh for the future," he said.