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| Harbhajan Singh |
A. Absolutely right you know whatever Sachin has said. I stand by him. Because Greg Chappell was wanted to be a leader and he wanted to drop lots of the senior players and in fact he was the person who wanted to try his best to take the team to the next level, I mean not upwards, but definitely downwards and he was quite successful doing that and he was one person who created lot of insecurity among the players. It was not a happy unit. Those two years were probably one of the sad periods of time to play cricket for BCCI. He was not the right sort of person to work for Indian team and we have lot of time told this to various people, lot of people at the authority but since his contact was for two years and he made sure those two years he utilized a lot of people and put his views forward whatever he wanted to say about the individual and the team and he got away with lot of things what he was doing wrong and it was absolutely disgrace how he was operating in the system. He used not just the players but lot of the senior media people to write his columns, to say whatever he wanted to say about the individuals. Those two years were probably the worst period of my cricketing career.
Q. You are saying that lot of players were actually told the BCCI and those in power about what Greg Chappell was doing and yet the BCCI didn't take any step. A lot of the players actually went to BCCI, Sachin himself has written in the book that Greg shouldn't even travel to the World Cup. You also told a lot of people in the BCCI.
A. Lot of time we actually mentioned to lot of people who were in a way were powerful at that time and told them that we don't need a guy like him who is just trashing Indian cricket. He is not helping Indian cricket to grow but he was definitely digging a hole for all of us to fall into. He was quiet successful with that but obviously we are glad that after he left, we reunited ourselves as players, as unit and we went on to play some serious lot of cricket and we played lot better than what we played under him and we won some major trophies after that. We won abroad lot of test matches, lot of one-day series, lot of big competitions like 2007-2008 20-20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup. The same bunch of guys who he was recommending through media to the officials, "these guys are cancer in the team bla bla" whatever you know he said about us, the same guys went on to win two World Cups which obviously feels great and of course he was the man with the double face. He was the man you can't trust. Whatever he said, we never trusted him because we knew that everything he is saying is because he wants to show you a different face but he was leaking everything to the media and later whatever you are talking to him, everything was in the newspaper. Nothing was hidden. We are supposed to be one family. Once you are in one team and to protect each and everyone's trust when you are in the team. We should work as a team, we should work as a family but it was a very sad family. It was a very bad period, very very bad phase for Indian cricket and we all seniors wanted to make sure that we take the team to next level, play well, lift lots of trophies and of course there are lot of people expecting us to do well but unfortunately the kind of pressure we were going through, we couldn't do so.
Q. Do you think that BCCI made a mistake by letting Greg Chappell continue despite the fact that such senior players as Sachin Tendulkar were not happy with them and most of the players were not happy with him. You complained to them as well. Shouldn't the BCCI fire him earlier before his tenure got over?
A. It would have been great if they would have fired him at that point of time. That would have made us to grow faster because he by then in first six months of his tenure has damaged a lot of things. People were not believing what exactly we were saying because they actually felt that probably we guys are making mistakes and we don't like him because he projected himself that he is a strict master or guru and media made him so big that none of our Indian cricket have achieved what he has achieved which was untrue and we as players, we wanted to grow as players, as team, wanted to do well but things would have been better if he would have gone earlier. Whatever said and done, we were all relieved that he is going and once he is gone, you can see the results. In the same place we have reached different heights in cricket and in fact I would like to say that even when he was after Saurav, I was one guy who stood by Saurav and I put my career under threat by standing alone next to him but I am glad that people will realize that I was standing on the right side and we have not made any mistake but he was the guy who actually destroyed Indian cricket.
Q. But in fact Saurav Ganguly spoke exclusively first to Headlines Today yesterday itself saying that he feels vindicated as well after Sachin Tendulakar coming out and backing what Saurav has said at that time as well. Greg has now come out saying today that Sachin's claims are untrue. He is making his words against Sachin. Do you think Greg Chappell is blatantly lying about what Sachin has written in his book?
A. He is a liar, big liar. He has been lying to all of us and the whole India by saying very very bad things about the players and saying lot of things which should not have come out. We had lot of things to say about him but we as family, as individual as team thought it was not right for all of us to say. Few things are kept very secretly. He wanted to make comments, stories, create those stories and give it to the media so that we people get the bad name. This is not a shocking kind of thing Greg Chappell is saying he didn't offer this to Sachin, he didn't do this or that or whatever. You can talk to each and every individual and what kind of a person he was, I am sure he is going to react to Sachin's comment like that only that he never offered Sachin a captaincy. I don't know what he offered to who and I am definitely I can tell you whatever Sachin is saying, he is saying the truth because Sachin is a guy who is very honest about what he says and he will never lie. We told him this is what he is doing, Greg is trying to destroy the team and whatsoever but he never opened his mouth and he never said anything. But now Sachin is saying everything which we knew it earlier and it's great to see Sachin is coming out in his book and telling the whole world what exactly Greg Chappell was. That's our problem. We make people from abroad, whoever comes in India, we feel that they will do the best job for India as coach but somewhere we need to realize that we have got enough talent, we have got enough people who can e coach, who can be with the team and take the team to a different level because I remember Lalchand Rajput was a coach of Indian cricket team and we won series in Australia and more than seven 20-20 World Cup which was probably the biggest series abroad and we are winning a lot of test matches now abroad. Robin Singh is one the guys who has really done very well as a coach, Lalchand Rajput and there are many more. We have produced so many great players within ourselves and they can do the job. Why do we need to hire people like Greg Chappell? Basically, we are telling the whole world that we do not have people but anyway coming to Greg Chappell, he was the man with two-faces. Now, he will protect himself by saying that Sachin is lying, Bhajji is laying and everyone else is lying and he is telling the truth.
Q. Do you think that Greg Chappell should apologize? He has been very brazen despite the fact that he as you said that he took the Indian cricket downwards. There were so many problems, performances had hit rock bottom. The 2007 World Cup is a nightmare for most Indian fans. Do you think Greg Chappel must apologize not just for that but for also like today he has come out and called Sachin Tendulkar a liar? Do you think he should apologize to Sachin?
A. We don't need his apology. Whatever damage he has done at that point of time, it took us four years to bring it back. Because I think in 2007, we had such a great team and would have ended up winning the World Cup. Everybody was so ensure of their own place. There was so much of insecurity among the players. Nobody was believing each other and you didn't know which player was going behind whom and taking to Greg Chappell. There was no trust in the team so damage has been done. Whether he says sorry or not, it's not going to change anything but glad he not working within the team, with the team or with the cricket board anymore and I hope we keep him as far as possible that he should not even come close to the Indian cricket and we have a great Indian cricket team which is doing well. Without him, we will do much better and we apologize or not he is not the right guy.
Q. How was Greg Vhappell to you personally because there were instances where Sachin has mentioned in his book what he said to him and what he did to Saurav Ganguly and even an instance about him threatening almost a senior player like VVS Laxman. Can you share your personal experience with Greg Chappell? Did he do anything to unsettle you to anything untowards towards you?
A. He knew that I am the main player of the team. In one of the games where I took five wickets for 11 runs, in one of the test matches in Jamaica on the first day itself but he never came up to me and said a word. But, other guys who had taken one or two wickets, he went to them and said well done to them and that shows he never liked me and somehow he got to know that I have read his mail, what he was writing about Saurav to BCCI at that point of time in Harare from where it started actually. I was the next to next one to go up and bat. I was next one sitting and watching this cricket while Saurav and other guys were batting inside and actually he just left his computer open and I just saw the whole mail what he was writing to lot of the mediaperson and to BCCI about Saurav and I went up to Saurav and told him I have seen it with my own eyes. I have read it and Saurav was quite shocked because Saurav felt he is the guy in Indian cricket and to take the team to next level but unfortunately it was other way around. He was actually destroying Saurav and Indian cricket and lot of other people of the team and he actually destroyed my confidence, every time I bowled well and never appreciated me and he was actually waiting for the chances to remove all of us and he wanted his way but it didn't happened that way but he tried his best to do whatever he can but he did damage Indian cricket in a way where it took us a long time to recover and come back and start winning the game.
Q. There is a mention about you as well in Sachin Tendulkar's book. You must be excited to get your hands on that since Sachin is a huge role model of yours?
A. Obviously it is going to be a very exiting book. All I can say that it's coming from Sachin's heart. He is one guy we always respected a lot and he is one guy we have all grown up playing cricket with him and we have learnt a lot and he is a very honest guy. All I can say is that it would be a very very good book, a very honest book and I wish this book will go a long way and people will actually know a lot of stories about Sachin, a lot of stories from him. It will all be true stories because we know that he is a man very very true and I stand by him.
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