Irfan Pathan Shares Unheard Greg Chappell Tale: "Talked To Him In Private..."

Former India all-rounder recently shared an unheard story about the former coach and Australia great Greg Chappell. Team India saw one of it's darkest phases during the coaching tenure of Chappell. It began from the sacking of the then-captain Sourav Ganguly, leading to India's group stage elimination from the 2007 ODI World Cup. Chappell was infamous for his strict demeanor and often received criticism for that. However, Irfan was the one who backed Chappell's methods of coaching, calling them a bit different from the Indian point of view.

Irfan, whose career went uphill under Chappell's guidance, stated that the Australia great's ways just did not sit well with the Indian players.

"He had his way of treating seniors and juniors with the same respect. But in that, he would be a bit more aggressive than one would like. He would tell anyone that if they don't perform, they will be dropped. I realised it was too aggressive, and once I talked to him privately about it," said Irfan on the Lallantop.

"I told him that we already know what you keep saying about being dropped. You don't need to tell us. It is causing insecurity in the team. He looked at me for a while, got a bit upset and threw some choicest of words, but then he realised I was right," he added.

Irfan further stated that Chappel would have been a successful coach if he had respected the Indian team culture.

"If I go to Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or England as a coach, and if I don't accept their culture, would their players accept me? Greg Chappell's intention was right, but he wanted to bring an Australian culture. He wanted us to play hard cricket and didn't care what background anyone came from. But you can certainly do it in a much better way," said Irfan.

"I played for Middlesex County club. You play a four-day match, then you drive the next day. They gather everyone in a bar before the match. I don't drink, but I need to accept their culture. You are a part of the team, and you need to blend in. If Chappell hadn't missed that one thing, he would've been one of the best coaches," he added.

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