'Sourav Had To Go'

Former New Zealand skipper and Indian coach John Wright divulged some sensational inside information on several issues including his much-speculatedrelationship with former captain Sourav Ganguly in his new book IndianSummers,which was released in New Zealand on 27th July. The book will be releasedhere by Penguin India in October.

Excerpts from the book, released by PTI:

On his relationship with Sourav:

He (Sourav) was a special man. He wore his heart onhis sleeve and there was an arrogance that used to get up people's noses.

But I think that was good for us, it was good to have that feistiness as thecountry learned it was becoming such a powerhouse in world cricket.

I tested him (Ganguly) and he tested me but there was an inner trust betweenus. He would often do things which were the opposite of what we had talkedabout, which always kept me on my toes, but there was a bond that grew, despitehow different we were. And we were always a really happy side.

As much as I respect Sourav and acknowledge his record as captain andcontribution to cricket, I believe there were sound arguments for a change inleadership towards the end of my stint.

There might well have been times when he (Sourav) favoured a change of coach.What really mattered that the two of us saw the bigger picture, worked as apartnership to provide leadership on and off the field and got results. In thatlast season though, the results dried up.

As much media speculation and gossip as a Bollywood marriage. (On their bitter-sweet relationship). And like any marriage, there was a honeymoon period, then reality set in and we settled down for the long haul.

His high-handedness often annoyed me, but I secretly admired his rebellious streak because it gave the team some pepper and it got up opposition noses, most famously Steve Waugh's.

He and I have probably spent more time in disciplinary hearings than anyother captain and coach. It must have been a combination of my flawed messagesand Ganguly's blithe refusal to take the slighest notice of what anyone told himto do.

I thought I could help him tactically, but I began with the basics, suggesting that he get a new watch as it was important the captain was on time.

The players had grown up in a culture of seniors and juniors... Ganguly and I were as one on this - it had to change. He was determined to create a new culture and did an admirable job of making the younger players feel that they belonged.

He didn't give a stuff about convention, other people's expectations, niceties or officialdom -- especially match referees. On the face of it, we weren't a natural fit.

It was never going to be sweetness and light, butin the end the issues that divided us - and there were a few - wereinsubstantial compared to the cause in which we were united - to create a newteam culture and give the most passionate nation in the world the team theydeserved.

On Sourav bringing in Sunil Gavaskar as a consultant:

Two days before the first Test (in Bangalore, against Australia 2004-5series), I was notified that the legendary Sunil Gavaskar would be joining us asa batting consultant. I couldn't work out how it had happened. Gavaskar solvedthe mystery by revealing in a team meeting that he had a text message fromGanguly. I was far from happy because as the head coach I should have had thefinal say on support staff issues.

...if the captain decides to bring someone into the camp two days outfrom a Test against the best team in the world, there's not a hell of a lot youcan do about it.

Regionalism in selection committee meetings:

The first six or seven selections were straight forward. But when it got downto the marginal selections, those last three or four spots that determine thebalance of the team and your ability to develop new players, the zonal factorkicked in and things would get interesting.

It was easy to tell when selectors had come to a meeting with an agenda... Iftheir boys weren't picked, they tended to cross their arms, clam up and take nofurther part in the meeting.

V.V.S. Laxman and Mohammad Kaif made scapegoats:

V.V.S. Laxman and Kaif are examples of outstanding performers who alwaysseemed to be only one or two failures away from having their places questioned.

Kaif had managed to get under (former England captain Nasser) Hussain'sskin... He clearly bugged Hussain when England were in India and during the gameat Durham, he had a real go at Kaif telling him to shut up and calling him a busdriver.

Reluctance to act against the 'superstars':

The exceptions are the superstars. There's still reluctance to give anunder-performing or unfocussed big name a blunt message by having him sit out atour or a few one-dayers.

His approach as coach:

That was simply not the case (on being soft on the players). I had triedeverything including banging my fists and being hard-nosed and whenever thepresident or selectors sought my opinion, they got it without any equivocationor sugar coating. One thing I chose not to do was argue my case in public.

His stint with the team:

Mine was the loneliest job in the world. But, it was probably the biggest adventure I will ever have in my life. I missthat thrill of getting on that team bus and going to a big game, with the crowdsclapping you all the way to the ground....

In many ways, that's what made the job so exciting. I actually didn't have acontract for about 40 per cent of the time but it didn't really matter becausethey were honourable people. I got paid every three months so that was thelength of time I'd allow myself to look ahead.

It was satisfying that I lasted so long, I certainly didn't expect to walkaway on my own terms, but I proved I could survive and proved that a foreignercould do the job.

Behind closed doors: If it happened, it was done in Hindi and behindmy back, which is exactly what I would have expected. (Dismissing Sunil Gavaskar's claim that he was abused by the players).

When they trooped in after a sloppy session, Ididn't pat them on the back and say 'well done lads'. I asked them where thebloody effort was.

If some of them called me a grumpy old bastard when I left them tothink about it, so what? It wasn't beach cricket, and dressing room aren'tchurches.

If a player thought I was stuffing up, he hadevery right to say so, either in private or in front of the team. I wasn'tbackward in letting them know what I thought of their performances, and I had noproblem with them doing the same to me.

Most disagreements tended to be one-on-one behind closed doors, but ifhard things had to be said in front of the entire group, so be it. We wanted anopen and honest environment, and you only get that if everyone feels they canspeak their mind without being jumped on and without people getting precious andtaking offence.

Being soft on players:  From time to time outsiders who read too muchinto my public persona suggested that maybe I was too soft for the job, but Idon't think that view held sway on the other side of the dressing room.

Sachin: Denied Double Ton 

Tendulkar, batting on 194 in the first Test againstarch-rivals Pakistan in the Multan Test in 2004, left no one in doubt that hefelt let down. We had a hot potato on our hands.

Midway through the final session, Dravid declared, asyou do when you're 675 for 5. What Indian captains don't tend to do, however, isdeclare when Sachin Tendulkar is on 194 not out. The matter became afull-fledged sensation when Tendulkar told a press conference he wasdisappointed not to get his double century.

Dravid wanted less time in the field, but got caught abit betwixt and between. At tea he told the batsmen he wanted 15 or 16 overs atthe Pakistanis, and after tea a couple of messages went out. As I sat therewatching the innings grind on, it crossed my mind that Tendulkar needed to get amove on.

A final message went out saying they had one more over.Then Yuvraj got run out going for a quick single and Dravid called them in.

There was fault all round. I should have convincedDravid to declare earlier and he should have grasped that it's one thing todeclare when a batsman's 170 or 180, quite another when he's 194. And Tendulkarshould have pushed to get there quicker.

I talked to Dravid, who agreed that he had to have achat with Tendulkar before things got out of hand. That combination ofsteeliness and serenity, so evident in Dravid's batting, is the mark of the man--: nothing fazes him. He's a mature and intelligent individual, all the hypeand fuss goes over his head because he can stand back and put the issue inperspective.

As for Tendulkar, he felt let down. He'd been playingfor India since he was 16; he'd stood up for his country in bad times and toughconditions, and often been the only man to do so. Having given so much for theteam, over such a long period, he probably thought this was one time the teamcould give something back to him. Even the greatest have their goals and dreamsand milestones, and a double century against Pakistan in Pakistan would havebeen a memory to treasure. After a sleepless night, I spoke to Tendulkar who confirmed that he'd wanted theteam to cut him some slack. Then he and Dravid talked it through and resolvedthe matter.

Sachin: Percentage Player?

There wan an ongoing issue surrounding Tendulkar -- theview was that he's become a percentage player rather than the dasher he's beenas a younger man. I was often told that, in effect, he wasn't the player he usedto be. The facts are, that in my time with India he scored 12 centuries in 46Tests and averaged 60.89 and was every inch a team player.

I was was often asked how he went about coachingbatsmen like him and my reply was 'I didn't coach Tendulkar, I gave him gentleadvice when he asked for it'.

I once heard a player say jokingly that it tooknewcomers at least three or four matches to feel at ease in the dressing room,because that was how long it took to stop observing Tendulkar's every move andstart relating to him as a teammate.

How Sachin Came Up Tops Down Under:

Tendulkar was having a quiet series, with just one 50.Before the Sydney Test (January 2004), we talked about his batting, which didn'thappen very often as he knew his own game inside out.

In Sydney, he decided he was going to keep it verytight ... Having formulated a plan, he went out and executed it, making 241 notout... The word gets done to death, but this was an awesome display of techniqueand discipline. A month later his wife Anjali, who'd listened in on ourconversation, got in touch to say thanks for the chat in Sydney.