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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Team B-Human distributes fruits, essentials to patients at Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru
Mangaluru: To mark Kannada Rajyothsava, Team B-Human conducted a charitable distribution drive on Thursday at Wenlock Hospital, Mangaluru, offering fruits and essential items to dialysis patients and children receiving treatment.
Dr. Shiva Prakash, District Medical Officer at Wenlock, inaugurated the event and praised Team B-Human’s efforts in raising awareness on health issues and supporting patients in need. “Wenlock Hospital has a well-equipped dialysis centre, and we provide a full range of treatment options in the children's ward. Our mission is to offer free medical and surgical services to the underprivileged, both in urban and rural areas, along with specialized care,” he said.
Shareef Whitestone, a trustee of Team B-Human, highlighted the group’s commitment to community service, noting that they have sponsored free dialysis for many needy patients at Yenepoya and Kanachur hospitals over the past two years. “Our goal is to assist the economically disadvantaged across all communities. In the future, we also intend to offer financial aid to students from low-income families,” added Asif Deals, the founder of Team B-Human.
The distribution included lunch, blankets, and towels for adult patients, and special kits for young patients containing toys, fruits, biscuits, chocolates, diapers, slippers, and other essentials.
Several hospital staff and officials attended the event, including RMO Dr. Sudhakar T., physicians Dr. Sadananda Poojary and Dr. Abdul Basith, Nursing In-charge Sumanagala, Office Superintendent Tilak U., SDO Avil Clarence Raj, Health Committee Member Shashidhar K. Bajal, and ARS Member Prabhakar Amin. Representing Team B-Human were members Imthiyaz Z. M., Abbas Uchil, Imran Hasan, Nazeer Ullal, Iqbal Bantwal, Ahnaf Deals, Basheer, Azeez, Faiz, and Health In-charge Haneef Thodar.
