Welcome back, Greg

so greg chappell is in the news again. and again. (the last being a long interview with prem of rediff on the methods he guru and ian fraser are putting into practice at the rajasthan cricket academy.)

of late, we admit, we've been seriously wondering why the great man has come back to the country that treated him quite shabbily the first time he was here? and, more importantly, why do the powers-that-be that run cricket at various levels in india want him back? very simple answer: because greg chappell, mbe, is good. very, very good.

there, now that we've said it, let's look at some of the things he's not so good at. he's not very good at suffering fools gladly. he's not very good at dealing with people who question his authority. he's not very good at managing fragile, and king-sized, egos. but, he is a bloody good mind; probably the best in the world of cricket today.

greg's approach to cricketing problems focusses on the mind-games that constitute a large part of the doing process. time and again, we're told how almost everything in life, give or take a few thoughtless ventures, is about overcoming the challenges, the demons and the fears in the mind. this is where greg chappell excels. and that's why TPR is humblingly pleased to hear that greg is playing a big role in the grooming of talent at the junior levels.

we think greg is in the right place. young minds are easier to train. young minds carry less baggage. young minds don't walk around like they know it all. young minds are malleable. and young minds are open to new ideas. and greg's strength is great ideas. his weakness, though, is that he treats everyone under his charge like a student. sometimes, oftentimes, most times that approach doesn't work with people who already have a few big achievements under their belt.

we're quite certain rajasthan cricket, in particular, and indian cricket, in general, will benefit immensely from this visionary move by the much-maligned, and equally admired, lalit modi to bring on board chappell's expertise for the betterment of cricket in india and sincerely hope guru greg, mbe, will have a good second innings in this emotionally racial country.

all said and done, chappell brings to the table many qualities that the parochial, small-minded, clannish, backward-looking ex-player coaches we've seen plenty of, never did, or ever will.

make no mistake, tpr is certain as ever that indian cricket needs more foreign coaches. we just have to make sure we put them, and their different personalities, in the right jobs. (something we learnt the hard way, after being fired from a host of jobs we were temperamentally and egotistically wrong for.)