NEW DELHI, 21 May 2005 — Former Australia captain Greg Chappell was appointed India’s cricket coach yesterday.
He succeeds ex-New Zealand captain John Wright. The 56-year-old Chappell, one of the finest batsmen of his generation, was chosen ahead of his younger compatriot Tom Moody, India’s Mohinder Amarnath and former West Indies opener Desmond Haynes.
Chappell told a press conference that his focus would be to motivate a side which he said had the potential to win the 2007 World Cup.
“It’s a great honor to be asked to coach any national side, particularly as a foreigner,” Chappell said.
“I’ve my own coaching philosophy. We’re not talking about rocket science. It’s a simple game and I want to keep things simple.”
He said his priority would be to revive India’s one-day performances.
“The decision was unanimous. His contract will be for two years until the 2007 World Cup,” Ranbir Mahendra, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told reporters.
He said the decision, made by a six-man selection committee which interviewed the candidates on Thursday, would be ratified at the board’s decision-making working committee in June.
Chappell had unsuccessfully applied for the job in 2000, when Wright was picked as India’s first foreign coach.
He played 87 Tests for Australia, many of them with his brother Ian, between 1970 and 1984 and scored 7,110 runs, surpassing Don Bradman’s total, at an average of 53.86.
That included 24 hundreds, including one in his first Test innings and one in his last.
Chappell was named in Australia’s Test team of the century in December 2000.
He captained Australia 48 times. He has coached South Australia and been linked to several top jobs with international sides in recent seasons.
