No tears for Chappell

Greg Chappell's dramatic decision to quit as coach of the Indian cricket team has not gone down well, with both the players and fans. While some of the players saw it as further stoking the controversy, some of the ordinary followers of the game said they were happy to see him go.

Former Karnataka skipper Sunil Joshi said he was at a loss to understand the real reason behind Chappell's decision. He also questioned his earlier statements about the team that was selected for the world cup and the so-called lack of commitment on the part of the senior players.

"After the team lost, Rahul Dravid as captain did not shirk responsibility and took the blame on his chin. He gave no excuses. In stark contrast, Chappell said he did not get the team he wanted. What stopped him from taking a firm stand then, from coming out in the open, before the world cup. Of what use is it to make an issue of it now? Then, he goes on to talk of the players' lack of commitment. To me all this appears to be a case of shifting the blame on to the players, notwithstanding that they may have played badly."

As for the fans, few people are shedding any tears for the famous Australian. The majority feel that his tenure has seen the Indian team steadily going downhill from the high of 2002 when India reached the finals of the world cup to a disastrous first round exit in 2007 in the present world cup.

"The coach is paid to get results and to make the team better, there is no getting away from this," says Ramesh, a hardcore fan who has been following the game for the past three decades. "Everything else is secondary. On this count, Chappell has been an all round, miserable failure."