Sourav Ganguly, the Greg Chappell saga and selecting right candidate for India coaching job

Greg Chappell is back in the Indian news circles once again, this time without his direct involvement, which is a thing of distant past. BCCI are in search of a head coach, for which as many as 57 applications have been filed. Indeed, being India’s head coach promises lot of fanfare, fat pay cheques as well as a world full of challenges, but some of the biggest names have remained undeterred from it all whenever there has been an opening. But as the hunt intensifies, Indian cricket once again finds itself reminded of a chapter in its history which it desperately wants to forget. Indeed, Chappell, along with Sourav Ganguly, have been hitting headlines again. ALSO READ: Chappell era: A recap of the ugly spat

It has been close to a decade, but there are several cricketers who recall the horror days under Chappell the coach, laying them out with precise details as if it all happened yesterday. Rahul Dravid might have stayed out of it, but his teammates Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and most importantly the man who got Chappell to Indian cricket — Ganguly — have not left any chance to jab at one of Indian cricket’s favourite punching bag. ALSO READ: Sachin Tendulkar stood by me when I distanced myself from Greg Chappell: Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly is entrusted to help find India the right man, and it was not a surprise at all to see him dragging the Chappell saga back from distant past into present. After all that has gone around, it is understandable that Ganguly is still reeling. But that is not relevant, or of any importance, especially at this hour.

What is important is India find the right candidate. A coach who can be given the command of the national side totally, one who can be trusted, one who has the hunger to do well and most importantly, has a road map to take Indian cricket ahead.

Chappell was darted away when he tried doing things on his own. Gary Kirsten shepherded a team full of champions, interfering only when needed, watching the rest from a distance. Duncan Fletcher was never given enough power, and did not enjoy what he already had. India need none of that now. ALSO READ:  Cricketing Rifts 17 – The Sourav Ganguly-Greg Chappell War

What India need is a man who understands Indian cricket and its players well, has a clear mind on what he wants, and lays down it clearly in front of the board and the men around him. There has been some fuss around linguistic skills as well, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to what he wants to achieve, how much power and freedom he gets from the board, and how well the players get along with him.

By recalling the blunder he made a decade back in backing Chappell, Ganguly has attracted pressure on himself. If something goes wrong, India and Ganguly will not only be reminded of those dark days, but the declaration of sorts that has been made will also come back to haunt.

Back then, it was Ganguly who was getting a man to assist him. Now, Ganguly and the committee he is a part of is getting a coach who will help Virat Kohli. Indeed, Test cricket remains priority and an aggressive Kohli would want someone who walks somewhat similar path. Ravi Shastri, for instance, seems like the ideal candidate.

(Devarchit Varma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)