Double Trouble

Officially, the BCCI's stand also had to be nonchalant. Shah said there were no complaints against More or Chappell but insisted that even if it was not listed on the agenda, the board may discuss it at its April 9 meeting if it was raised. Still, some BCCI officials have questioned the media's use to get at More when the ideal thing would have been for the board secretary to speak with the chairman of selectors.

Another interesting angle linked to the issue is the possibility of Sourav Ganguly returning to the team. "Look at how Yuvraj was made to speak for him before the selectors met to pick the Test team against England," says a board member. "And now, there is a chance for Sourav to find a place in the team, with Sachin injured and the other openers out of form."

Some board officials sympathetic to Ganguly's cause find the More-Chappell combine a hard nut to crack. "They are being softened by being talked about," says a BCCI observer who believes that some of the board's top guns are working to get Ganguly back in the team. As for the decision-makers, they reacted to Sachin's absence, and Sehwag and Gambhir's indifferent form by calling up the untested Robin Uthappa rather than turning to Ganguly.

More is himself a man with definite views on coaching, an area he has had a long stake in. Some years ago, at the KMCA, More told journalists that he believed young Indian cricketers had natural talent but the quality of coaching never matched up. "I have seen coaching camps in India where the boys spend waste their time, standing and talking as not enough nets or cricket balls were available or used. My focus is on making the boys practice more. The boys have different talents, somebody has different techniques, different ideas. It's very interesting as you learn something new everyday."

For the moment, More learns that it may pay to keep some distance from the players while Ganguly winces on the sidelines and Chappell focuses on making Team India a more competitive unit. Chappell has also been careful in not making a comment on individual players. Away from the team, men who seek probity will perhaps practice that themselves. And the Indian fan will continue to believe that cricket is life, the rest mere detail.