‘Began conducting long meetings after Dada was sacked’ – Virender Sehwag discloses unusually long meetings held by Greg Chappell

Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Former India batter Virender Sehwag recalled the ‘unusual’ meetings held by former coach Greg Chappell after sacking Sourav Ganguly as skipper. In 2005, all hell broke loose when Chappell was appointed as the head coach of the national team as it began a rather unfortunate chapter in Indian cricket.

One of the most talked of feuds within the national team back in 2005 was between Sourav Ganguly and Chappell. The strained relationship between the two had sparked a commotion that significantly affected the Indian team’s performances on the global stage.

During a during the show ‘15 years of Incredible T20 League’ on Star Sports, Sehwag recalled the lengthy discussions during meetings held by the former Australia cricketer while engaging in a jovial conversation with Ganguly.

Sehwag: When Greg Chappell became coach, we started having really long meetings. We used to sit for longer durations. When he removed Dada as captain and got another skipper, he began conducting long meetings.

Ganguly: I wouldn’t know that because I wasn’t part of these meetings

Sehwag: In Zimbabwe, Dada, Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid played a lot of pool

Ganguly: There he conducted meeting worth three years

Following the statements made by the duo cricketers, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh, who were also part of the segment, burst out laughing. Under Chappell, India endured arguably the toughest periods especially after crashing out in the first round of the 2007 ODI World Cup in West Indies.

Senior players seemed unhappy with Chappell for creating a sense of insecurity within the team. Following the disastrous run in the ODI World Cup, speculations were rife that he would be sacked as the head coach.

After his contract expired at the end of the World Cup, Chappell did not seek an extension and informed the board president of his decision, citing ‘family and personal reasons’. The controversial reign held by the former Australia cricketer drew to a conclusion in April 2007.