Published 16:22 IST, June 22nd 2023
The chief selector who 'could stand his ground in front of Chappell' when backing Kohli
A senior BCCI official has recently revealed that Dilip Vengsarkar was the only selector who could stand his ground in front of Greg Chappell.
Why you're reading this: Greg Chappell, the renowned former Australian cricketer, holds a significant place in the history of the Indian men's cricket team as one of its most controversial coaches in the past two decades. His tenure as coach was marked by a highly publicized rift with Sourav Ganguly, adding to the intrigue surrounding his legacy. Notably, Chappell's coaching stint coincided with the unfortunate early exit of the Indian team from the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
3 things you need to know
- Greg Chappell coached the Indian men's cricket team from 2005 to 2007
- Sourav Ganguly stepped down as captain allegedly on Chappell's request
- Ganguly was later dropped from the Indian team by the selectors due to poor form
Indian chief selector who could stand his ground in front of Chappell
Meanwhile, a senior BCCI official has recently revealed that Dilip Vengsarkar was the only selector who could stand his ground in front of Chappell. In Indian cricket circles, there is a prevalent belief that a chairman of selectors without a certain pedigree may face challenges in asserting themselves during selection meetings when confronted by formidable personalities who have achieved a lot for their country.
However, it was not the case with Vengsarkar, who once revealed that his career as Team India selector ended because he backed Virat Kohli in 2008. Vengsarkar had said that he wanted Kohli to be included in the Indian team for their tour of Sri Lanka instead of S Badrinath, who was part of Chennai Super Kings squad at the time and had the support of captain MS Dhoni and BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan.
"When Dilip bhai was chairman, he had to make a choice between S Badrinath and Virat Kohli. He saw a few India A games in Australia and he knew whom to back. Rest is history. He could stand his ground in front of Greg Chappell before that," a BCCI official told PTI.
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N Srinivasan, who owns CSK, wanted S Badrinath in the Indian team but Vengsarkar went with Kohli and the rest is history. Kohli went on to become one of India's most successful batsmen, breaking several records in the process.
Image: Reuters/AP
Updated 16:20 IST, June 22nd 2023