Chappell may continue to play role in Indian cricket

Greg Chappell, whose two-year contract with the Indian cricket team ended with the World Cup debacle, could continue to be associated with the game in the country, board president Sharad Pawar said Friday.

"Mr. Pawar was of the opinion that Mr. Greg Chappell could be associated with Indian cricket and help in the implementation of the long-term plans although he is no more coach of the Indian team," said a board statement following the first of the three meetings called to take stock of the World Cup failure.

India crashed out in the first round of the World Cup in the West Indies recently, losing two of the three group matches.

"In his (World Cup) report, Mr. Chappell confined himself to issues and did not make any references to individual players," it said at the end of the meeting held at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium here.

Besides Chappell's, World Cup team manager Sanjay Jagdale's report was also tabled at the meeting that was attended by the BCCI office-bearers, captain Rahul Dravid and chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar.

"Chappell made a detailed presentation on his experiences with the Indian team for the last 22 months. As a coach, he too felt that he was partly responsible for the poor performance," said the statement.

"He pointed out the shortcomings and suggested measures to improve Indian cricket. He emphasised the need to promote youngsters and concentrate on fitness and strength for the team to do well in fielding and running between wickets."

Jagdale and Vengsarkar also made some suggestions at the meeting that was covered extensively by media drawn from all over the country.

In the second meeting of the day, seven or eight former India captains are expected to meet the BCCI officials, including Pawar, to suggest ways to improve Indian cricket.

On Saturday, the BCCI working committee will meet. At this meeting, Pawar will apprise the members of the discussion he had held with Chappell, Dravid, Jagdale, Vengsarkar and others Friday.

(IANS)

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