India lucky to get a leader like Dhoni:Chappell

JAIPUR: Greg Chappell is happy with the way the Indian cricket team, with which he had a tumultuous two-year stint, is shaping up and believes the side has unearthed an able leader in Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
    
The former India coach, who made an unceremonious exit following India's World Cup debacle in the West Indies, was here in his new role as consultant for the Future Cricket Academy of the Rajasthan Cricket Association.
    
"I had foreseen a great future for Dhoni. He has proved his potential and as a leader he has been most impressive. The Indians are lucky to have a leader like him," he said of Dhoni who lead India to the Twenty20 World Cup triumph in South Africa.
    
Chappell also took the opportunity to state that as India's coach, he had done his best and it was for others to judge him.
    
"The Indian team is now doing well. When I was there as the coach, whatever I did stood them in good stead. It is up to others to judge. Indian cricket is lucky that they can choose from," he said.
    
Chappell was cautious in his remarks and ducked questions on other issues, fearing it may lead to controversy. He also refused to comment on the Indian team currently playing without a permanent coach, a post lying vacant since the Australian left.
    
Instead, Chappell was more at home talking about the current side.
    
"They have a few exciting players and have already won the Twenty20 World Cup. The good thing about Indian cricket is that it has varied environment in which players are groomed differently. The players, like those from far-flung areas, are example of that."
    
He also predicted that the ongoing India-Australia ODI series would be keenly fought.
    
"The Australian team is in transition phase. There is no (Glenn) McGrath or Shane Warne. But they are well prepared for the series. They have been working hard and they have to keep intact their supremacy.
    
"The Indian team too has some very good players. I believe it will be a hard fought series," he said.
    
Though a purist at heart, Chappell did not see Twenty20 affecting the technique of a batsman.
    
"No, there is no question of spoiling the technique. It has brought about a few changes which the 50-50 over cricket too brought along. Some of these creep into other forms like Test cricket which have become more result oriented.
    
"Now players use heavy bats, footwork is changing and they are hitting much harder than we used to do in my days," said Chappell.
    
Asked whether the ageing trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid would find Twenty20 too hot to handle, Chappell retorted, "I'm not here to discuss about Indian cricket."
    
The former Australia captain felt with Twenty20 emerging as the third format of the game, cricket administrators have been left with a delicate balancing act.
    
"Cricket is a unique game. No other sport has three varieties like cricket has. It is up to the administrators to find a decent balance between them."
    
"It is a new challenge for coaches too as they have to find talent more flexible in body and mind," said Chappell.
    
Chappell also spelt out his plans with the academy but discouraged any comparison with the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane.
    
"(RCA President) Lalit (Modi) has a vision and I found it quite challenging. We wish to make it one of the most reputed training centres of the world. It is not right to compare it to Centre of Excellence because that has been running for years now."
    
"People like (former Australian captain) Allan Border work and evolve new technique for the trainees there. But I assure you that it will be different," said Chappell who formally inaugurated the academy, along with his assistant and bio-mechanic expert Ian Frazer.