Controversial figure Greg Chappell has given his backing to the newly appointed Anil Kumble to succeed as the coach of Indian cricket team. Chappell, who was at helm of the Indian national team between 2005 and 2007, praised Kumble for his nature, and also took a jibe at former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly. During his tenure, Chappell had much publicised rifts with the likes of Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Ganguly earlier this month had resumed his cold war with Chappell, with series of comments, including regretting the decision to select Chappell in 2005. ALSO READ: Anil Kumble: It was nerve-racking to give interview for Team India coach
Speaking about the selection of Kumble as the Indian coach, Chappell told Hindu, “Kumble was never one to blow his own trumpet, but no one ever needed to be told that he was giving the team everything that he had. Whether with the bat or the ball or in the field, Kumble competed with a tenacity that few Indian players have surpassed.”
“If they had been blessed to have been surrounded by other selfless individuals whose only aim was to serve the team, the Indian teams in which they played would have been impossible to beat.”
Chappell also predicted a good partnership between Kumble and Test skipper Virat Kohli. “The greatest asset that Kumble has is that he has a captain who has a robust self-belief, is courageous and who will lead by example in all areas.”
Finally, he went on to take a dig at the Indian teams from the past, saying, “Too often in the past, Indian teams have tried to take short-cuts rather than work hard so any success has been fleeting.
“It was something that I was appointed to change, but it needed key players, not least of all the captain [Ganguly], to buy-in and lead by example. Sadly, this didn’t happen until Dravid was appointed and the next 12 months brought some consistent success because of the change at the top.”
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