NAGPUR, April 3: Sachin Tendulkar's deep anguish at his and other senior players' attitude being questioned by coach Greg Chappell was shared by a number of senior players contacted by TOI .
They felt the coach has mounted a smear campaign to tar their reputation while seeking to absolve himself of all blame for the World Cup debacle - something, they feel, he shouldn't be allowed to get away with.
One of them told TOI that Chappell has been indulging in "low one-upmanship" ever since he became the coach. "He has been smartly using the media right through his tenure and has been allowed to get away with a lot of mudslinging.
All these days we kept quiet because we respect the sanctity of Indian cricket. Besides, we didn't want to stoop to his level," he said.
Yet another senior player, who has kept quiet despite not exactly being Chappell's favourite bowler, finally spoke up to hit out against the coach. "It's quite obvious that Chappell has a guilty mind. That's precisely why he is having a go at anyone and everyone. He's also trying his best to shoot over Rahul's (Dravid) shoulders, saying that the seniors have undermined his authority. But please get this straight, Rahul has the respect of every member in the team," he said.
As for his statements about divisions in the team, this player asked, "Why is it that all these things are surfacing only now after the World Cup debacle? C'mon yaar, all the seniors have been playing together for over 10 years.
We have personally seen many ups and downs, and also the swings in the team's fortunes. There is a special bonding among us, which only we can understand. It's also about our friendship and our culture which an Aussie will never understand."
The seniors also accused the coach of repeatedly leaking the team's gameplans to the media. "The discussions within team meetings are supposed to be confidential. But most of them used to be passed out by him. We were all very upset but could do nothing to stop him," said another player.
"If only Sourav (Ganguly) had heeded the warnings (about not hiring Chappell as coach) of several Australian players, including the highly-respected Steve Waugh, Indian cricket would have been saved of this 'tamasha'," he added with obvious bitterness at the nasty turn that Indian cricket has taken in the aftermath of the World Cup flop.
A respected Indian cricketer choked with emotion as he went on to recall Chappell's 'high-handedness.' "In life, we have our share of good and bad experiences but, to be honest, I have not come across anyone like him before. He has made life hell for all of us. It's definitely the worst experience o
