Akhilesh Yadav, Arif not allowed to meet sarus at Kanpur zoo; told bird is in quarantine
Kanpur (UP) (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Amethi man Arif Khan Gurjar, who cared for an injured sarus crane for a year before it was taken away by forest officials much to his dismay, were not allowed to see the bird at the Kanpur zoo with officials telling them it was under quarantine.
The crane lived with Gurjar in Amethi district's Mandkha village "like a family member" for months. But last Tuesday, forest officials shifted it to the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Rae Bareli so that it could live in its "natural environment". It was subsequently moved to the zoo here.
Yadav, during his Kanpur visit on Tuesday, went to the zoo with Arif to see the bird but they returned disappointed. The Samajwadi Party chief was told that the bird is under 15-day quarantine and a team of doctors is keeping a close watch on its health, a senior forest department official said, requesting anonymity.
The official, however, added the two spent about an hour there and saw the sarus on CCTV screens.
The SP chief criticised the government for taking away the bird from Arif and sending a legal notice to him.
"I went to meet Irfan Solanki, he was shifted to Maharajganj jail. I went to meet sarus, and it was sent to Kanpur zoo," Yadav said. "Action is being taken against those whom I meet. Now, I am thinking of meeting high-profile people."
He also suggested Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath establish a safari for bulls instead of sarus or reindeers.
"If the bird is sent to Etawah from Kanpur, I would be happy as there are lots of sarus cranes there," Yadav told reporters. Etawah is his home town.
The forest department officials have filed a case against Arif under relevant sections of the wildlife protection act and issued him a notice, asking him to appear and record his statement. Yadav, however, expressed hope that the government would close the case and not impose any fine on him as he just helped an injured bird.
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Wright was ideal India coach, he gave players free-hand unlike Chappell, Kumble: Sandeep Patil
Mumbai, Nov 7: The 1983 World Cup winner and ex-chairman of selectors, Sandeep Patil feels John Wright's approach of giving a free-hand to players led to his successful coaching stint with India, something his more authoritarian successors Greg Chappell and Anil Kumble failed to emulate.
In his autobiography -- Beyond Boundaries -- launched here on Wednesday, Patil gave deep insights in his book about the reason behind Wright's success as India coach vis a vis Chappell and Kumble.
Patil was privy to several developments of the tumultuous Chappell era as he used to attend selection and board meetings in his capacity as the then India A coach.
"Since 2000, India have had an array of international coaches and support staff. This has paid rich dividends, because India's overseas record has improved steadily. It all started with John Wright becoming India's first foreign coach.
"I think John was the ideal coach for India. He was soft spoken, polite, well-mannered, always kept to himself, and was happy to be in Sourav Ganguly's shadow.
"In addition to all that, he kept a distance from the Press. He managed that so well, that he was hardly in the news — unlike what happened in the Greg Chappell years," Patil wrote in his book.
"With Chappell, he was in the news every day. It is very important for a coach to first understand the policy of that particular board, the thinking of the board members, and the President. He should have a good rapport with the President and the Secretary, and of course the captain and the team. John did that wonderfully."
Patil observed that every player was equal and the team came first for Wright.
"...during his tenure, there was no 'seniors' and juniors' business. It was one team. He believed all seniors were leaders in some way, He gave them respect, and a free hand, which l feel Anil Kumble didn't do. Greg Chappell too," he wrote.
The former India coach felt that Chappell's aggressive approach did not suit the Indian dressing room atmosphere.
"Greg is a very strong personality; very aggressive. The moment Jagmohan Dalmiya said you have a free hand, he thought that he can change everything overnight. John waited, and learnt the system. Greg wanted to change the entire system, the entire thinking, and the selection process," Patil elaborated.
"He introduced flexibility in the Indian team, and he spoiled things for Rahul Dravid, who took over from Ganguly as captain. Irfan (Pathan) was asked to move up the order. Seniors don't like to change numbers, whether it is Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid, or Virender Sehwag.
"The other issue in the Greg Chappell saga was the presence of Ian Fraser as Assistant Coach. Most players didn't like his presence."
Patil said Chappell was in a hurry to introduce the Australian culture in the Indian system.
"Greg wanted to introduce the Australian culture, the Australian way of playing cricket, and the Australian way of thinking. He could've done it, but he didn't bide his time. That's where I think the rift started, and he was against a few seniors who were not toeing the line.
"Sourav is not a guy who will get up and start running and doing stretches. You need to give him time. I think Greg rubbed seniors the wrong way, though a few seniors didn't speak openly about him - some like Kumble still haven't. It's the same with Dravid. Ironically, Ganguly got him in, but was instrumental in his exit," he wrote.
Patil felt Gary Kirsten turned out to be the most successful Indian coach because of his closeness with the players.
"Gary Kirsten was very successful - you could say most successful, because his squad won the 2011 World Cup. Gary, again, was well-respected and soft-spoken. He had played against the same players and got runs. This counts, in a way.
"Having played in India, he knew what to expect. He also stayed away from the Press, and gave all his 24 hours to the team," he wrote.
