How much did Bob Woolmer's murder play on Chappell's mind when he decided to quit as coach, is a question we will know only in time; when Chappell decides to open up again to the Indian media. I don't blame Chappell at all for deciding to quit for fear of his life. Who would want to coach in the region of match fixers and coach murderers?
If the decision however was not motivated thus, I am disappointed with the way we lost the services of a passionate, bold and no nonsense cricketing brain. Chappell promised a lot, dared to show us a vision, brought in fresh blood but eventually crash landed, which I believe was due to his failure to collaborate, partner and negotiate with Dilip Vengsarkar, "the seniors" in the team, and Rahul Dravid. With a little bit of "coaching" for himself he would have been a great asset to India.
If we stick to what is true or false as opposed to the rights or wrongs, in what has emerged lately, it is clear that there are no villains or heroes in this story. The media may paint a black and white picture of the roles people played in this messy epic, but then that is the nature of reporting in Indian media. Stories with black and white characters are simple and they sell. It is much simpler for everyone to understand situations after separating the bad from the good.
Chappell on his part for all his knowledge seemed to be upset or unhappy with the team he got. Of course we will never know (or may be we will) what he wanted but that is beside the point. As coach he is being paid to coach the team that is given to him. As coach he gets to be at the table and recommend candidates for selection in Team India. As a coach he gets access to selectors and an opportunity to influence; but no more. And that is how it should be. The "I could do better if I had a bigger say in selection" is an argument that takes the sheen off any professional coach. It is like saying that I would invariably succeed if I controlled all the variables and things happened my way.
Chappell, in this current maturity as coach, would be more successful in a setup where cricket is run more professionally. If he has to succeed in more chaotic environments like the sub continent, he needs to develop broader perspectives and learn to fit in the sub continental setup as opposed to imprinting and force fitting Australian solutions for team selection, management and motivation.
What drives Indian cricketers, even the greatest ones like Kapil, Sachin and Gavaskar, is pressure and insecurity. What motivates them is loyalty and monetary security. India is a land where Olympic medalists are known to hawk on streets named after them; a country capable of bankrupting Dhyan Chand; a country where even past cricketing greats are known to depend on public funds and charity. The current economic
