Irfan Pathan makes stunning revelation about former India head coach Greg Chappell

Greg Chappell’s stint as India’s head coach remains one of the most debated chapters in the team’s history. The Australian found himself at the centre of controversy after a very public fallout with then-captain Sourav Ganguly, which eventually led to Ganguly’s removal from the side and sparked widespread criticism of Chappell. Although India delivered some strong performances under him, all of it was overshadowed by the disastrous 2007 ODI World Cup campaign, where the team was knocked out in the group stage after a shocking loss to Bangladesh in the opener.

Over the years, many former cricketers have spoken unfavourably about Chappell. However, a few have acknowledged his coaching abilities and even sympathised with him. Among them is former all-rounder Irfan Pathan, whose career gained momentum during Chappell’s tenure. Not only was Irfan a regular in the playing XI, but he was also often promoted higher up the batting order.

In a recent interaction, Irfan shed light on why Chappell’s strict style didn’t align with the Indian cricketing “culture.”

“He treated seniors and juniors with the same respect, but he was far more aggressive than what we were used to. He would openly tell anyone that if they didn’t perform, they would be dropped. I felt this approach was too harsh, so I spoke to him privately,” Irfan recalled.

“I told him that we already know the consequences of not performing—he didn’t need to repeat it all the time. It was only creating insecurity within the team. At first, he got upset and used some strong words, but eventually, he realised I was right,” he added.

Irfan went on to say that for foreign coaches, understanding and adapting to the local culture is essential, giving a hypothetical example to stress his point.