I came across this hilarious website – has to be a first in the history of cricket. A Website dedicated to one solitary cause – Fire Greg Chappell as Indian Coach…
Im all for fans to have opinions, but this website, low on fact, high on rhetoric, goes well beyond the realm of the cricket fan, into the realm of cricket activism. The “facts” mentioned on the website are selective offerings, which ignore important realities of Indias cricket in the past 6 years.
Here are some facts:
Since the Chappell-Dravid team took over (from the Sri Lanka series in 2005), India have the following ODIrecord:
Sri Lanka in India 2005-06 – Won 5-1
South Africa in India 2005-06 – Drawn 2-2
India in Pakistan 2005-06 – Won 4-1
England in India 2005-06 -Won 5-1
DLF Cup Abu Dhabi – 1-1
India in West Indies 2006 – Lost 1-4
DLF Cup Malaysia – 1-2
ICC Champions Trophy – 1-2
Thats an overall ODI record of 19-14 in 36 games. None of the results have come against minnow teams (Minnow teams are all teams other than India, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies)
If you look at the record of Wright-Ganguly, in their best months (NatWest 2002 – Pakistan 2004), they have a 33-21 record in 58 games. Now, if you exclude the minnow games, then this record becomes:
Played 48, Won 23, Lost 21.
This was the Ganguly-Wright managements best record if you take the best period of their reign, after granting them a build up period of 2 years and a subsequent disastrous period of 1 year. If you look at Ganguly’s overall record as Captain, then not counting minnow opposition, his ODI record is 45-60, that is a 42% record!
If you consider Ganguly-Wrights Away record in this golden period, it is 12-14.
Now, the measure of development is that the present has to be better than the past. Contrary to current public opinion (which seems to be a anti-Chappell wave, in reaction to the Champions Trophy defeat), Chappell-Dravid have done significantly better than Ganguly-Wright did. And they have done so with a young team team – the youngest in World Cricket today.
Coming to Test Cricket, it has been an average first year for Chappell-Dravid. But i won’t even go there, since the view from GangulyLand claims that the “World Cup will be played abroad” in their Test Match “facts”.
Further, this website offers no opportunity for contacting its author. It does however provide the opportunity for “donations”.
All in all, i think its some sleazy “Cricket” fan trying to make a quick buck off Greg Chappell’s back.
Kartikeyadate's Weblog 