In the early 2000s, Indian cricket was on the high again. The team was in a rebuilding phase after the match-fixing scandal which saw Mohammad Azharuddin getting sacked and Sourav Ganguly taking over the reins. The latter produced immediate results too and India became quite a force to reckon with. In 2001 India won a historic series at home against Australia and the outfit from there on never looked back.
The series was a huge boost to the morale of the side who then believed they could outdo the best. A year later India knocked off England to clinch the Natwest series at Lord’s, where Ganguly took off his t-shirt and waved it around.
In the World Cup of 2003, India were impressive again. The men in blue were in rampant form and beat teams like Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka en route to the final. In the decider, however, they lost to Australia but the team earned high praises for their efforts.
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With Ganguly at the helm, the team went on to achieve other notable victories too after the quadrennial event. But then Greg Chappell happened. In May 2005, the Australian was appointed the coach of the outfit and from there on nothing was the same again. Ganguly and Chappell never got along well and that resulted in the skipper getting sacked.
By the time the 2007 World Cup got over, the BCCI had realised the mistake they had done and Chappell was shown the door. But what would have happened if the Indian board had avoided roping him in the first place? In this article, we look at how things would have been if he was not given the appointment letter in 2005. But Chappell also brought to limelight future Indian stars like Suresh Raina and RP Singh who later helped India win world trophies.
#1 Sourav Ganguly would have skippered India for a few more years
Yes, the iconic left-hander from Bengal was not in the best of form when he was sacked. But then again every cricketer goes through a phase when he is not at the top of his game and Ganguly was no exception. But there was never a doubt over his captaincy.
His courage and never say die attitude had transformed the team into a well-knit unit with both the seniors and juniors backing him.
If the Chappell-Ganguly feud had not arisen, the latter would have surely carried on for a few more years as the board would not have dared to sack a captain as successful as Ganguly. With him being the captain more accolades surely would have come India’s way and probably he would also have led India in the 2007 World Cup where they failed miserably.
Maybe in the West Indies, India could have turned the tides in their favour to emerge as champions, a feat they achieved four years later.
#2 Rahul Dravid would not have gotten a chance to lead India
‘The Wall’, as he was popularly known, would not have the chance to lead the country had Chappell not played his part in axing Ganguly. The burden of captaincy fell on the shoulders of Dravid but he could not quite replicate the success his predecessor had achieved.
His first real test came in the 2007 World Cup and the dependable right-hander faltered miserably. His body language, the fielding he set were heavily criticised after India crashed out of the event.
Chappell resigned from his post soon after the event concluded and after leading India in its tour to England later in the year, Dravid also resigned from his post as Team India captain.
#3 The 2007 World Cup debacle could have been avoided
The team that had travelled to the West Indies led by Rahul Dravid was a powerhouse but they were low on morale. That showed in their first game itself when India lost against minnows Bangladesh by five wickets.
They rallied back strongly against Bermuda smashing a historic 413. But then they were on the floor again versus Sri Lanka.
In the must-win game, India lost by 69 runs after the islanders had set them a target of 254/6. The loss also ousted India from the group stage which no cricket fan would have even dreamt off in their wildest dreams.
#4 The middle-finger controversy would have never happened
After the sacking of Ganguly, the Indian team had to play a One-Day International at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. There was a barrage of critical slogans from Indian cricket fans blaming the coach for Ganguly’s removal and Chappell was caught by television cameras showing his middle finger from the team bus.
The Australian coach’s gesture drew angry responses from prominent personalities and other top politicians. The controversy also overshadowed India’s humiliating 10-wicket defeat in the game.
"Indian fans might be a tad too emotional for Chappell's tastes, but they don't deserve such disrespect," The Times of India reported.
"By his extravagantly tasteless gesture, the legendary Australian cricketer has virtually guaranteed that the debate would now be on him rather than the overtly sentimental crowd.”
The then Indian team media manager M.Baladitya had said, ”Greg did not make any obscene gesture at the crowd and the incident has been blown out of proportion."
#5 The under-arm bowling controversy would still be his biggest one
You utter Greg Chappell and the first thing that first comes to the mind of the readers is the Chappell-Ganguly controversy and people forget about another dispute where he had asked his brother Trevor to bowl underarm in a One-Day International.
Australia were playing New Zealand in the third ODI of a five-match series on February 1, 1981. The series was tied at 1-1 and New Zealand needed a six of the last ball to tie the game.
To ensure that the Kiwis did not get the runs required Chappell instructed his bowler and younger brother Trevor to bowl under-arm along the ground. The action then was considered legal but the move was highly criticised by all in the cricket fraternity.
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