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Greg Chappell: What he allegedly said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Greg Chappell is ringmaster to Sachin, the Lion.

What he allegedly said:

“Together, we could control Indian cricket for years.”

Sachin Tendulkar dropped a bombshell in his autobiography, “Playing it my way” charging former coach Greg Chappell with playing politics and plotting to depose Rahul Dravid from Team India’s leadership in 2007.

Extracts from the maestro’s memoirs were released by his publishers, Hachette India, to the Press Trust of India on Monday.

English: Sachin Tendulkar at Adelaide Oval (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tendulkar wrote:

“Just months before the World Cup, Chappell had come to see me at home, and to my dismay, suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid. I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket’s biggest tournament just months away.

He stayed for a couple of hours, trying to convince me before finally leaving.

Sachin added:

“I suggested to the BCCI that the best option would be to keep Greg back in India and not send him with the team to the World Cup. That is not what happened, of course, and the 2007 campaign ended in disaster.”

On Chappell’s equation with the other senior pros:

“Chappell is on record as saying that he may have got the job be cause of Sourav but that did not mean he was going to do favours to Sourav for the rest of his life.

Frankly, Sourav is one of the best cricketers India has produced and he did not need favours from Chappell to be part of the team.

Chappell seemed intent on dropping all the older players and in the process damaged the harmony of the side. On one occasion, he asked VVS Laxman to consider opening the batting. Laxman politely turned him down, saying he had tried opening in the first half of his career because he was confused, but now he was settled in the middle order and Greg should consider him as a middle-order batsman.

Greg’s response stunned us all. He told Laxman he should be careful, be cause making a comeback at the age of thirty-two might not be easy.

In fact, I later found out that Greg had spoken to the BCCI about the need to remove the senior players, no doubt hoping to refresh the team.”

On Chappell’s love for the spotlight:

“I also remember that every time India won, Greg could be seen leading the team to the hotel or into the team bus, but every time India lost he would thrust the players in front. In general John and Gary always preferred to stay in the background, but Greg liked to be prominent in the media.”

Greg Chappell responded to Sachin’s allegations in a statement released to Cricket Australia.

Chappell said:

“Whilst I don’t propose to get into a war of words, I can state quite clearly that during my time as Indian coach I never contemplated Sachin replacing Rahul Dravid as captain. I was therefore very surprised to read the claims made in the book.

During those years, I only ever visited Sachin’s home once, and that was with our physio and assistant coach during Sachin’s rehabilitation from injury, at least 12 months’ earlier than what was reported in the book. We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon together but the subject of captaincy was never raised.”

English: Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rahul Dravid, in an interview to EspnCricinfo, said:

“I haven’t really read the excerpts of that book. Also I am not privy to any private conversation between two individuals. I have not heard about this before and I have no idea what happened and I would not want to make any comment.

It’s been a long time and it does not make much of a difference to me now.

Not looking forward towards reading this but yes anything that Sachin writes on batsmanship and things like what made him the best in the world. I am more interested in reading those parts.”

 What Greg Chappell (allegedly) really meant:

 “Allow me play kingmaker to the uncrowned king of Indian cricket.”

What he definitely didn’t:

 “Cricket’s a team game and we should all work together to move Indian cricket forward.”

Deepika Padukone: What she said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Deepika Padukone is a sports lover, biopics or no biopics.

What she said:

“It’s nice that so many biopics are being made, and they are leading to more awareness. But why do we have to wait for a movie to learn more about the sportsperson or sport? It just shows that we don’t encourage our athletes enough.”

Bollywood actor, Deepika Padukone, feels that the big screen should not be the sole medium via which sports stars are lionised for the public.

Padukone said:

“If we start writing and talking about them early in their careers, it will be much easier to create awareness about various sports and their champions. Also, I feel the media has a huge part to play in making people aware of our champions. It’s not just cricket, we have so many other sports.” 

Deepika is the daughter of former shuttler, Prakash Padukone, the first Indian player to win the All-England Open. He is widely rated India’s best male badminton player ever.

On the Mary Kom biopic:

“But people didn’t know who Mary was. Four-five years back, I think she was a three-time world champion. Now, she is four- or five-time world champion. So, when Priyanka (Chopra) did the film, I thought it would be great as everyone would get to know her.”

What she really meant:

“I’m not just a pretty face, you know. I have sporting genes. That I chose to become a model and  actress instead is beside the point.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Now if I’d only known that I wouldn’t have to wear prosthetic makeup for ‘Mary Kom’, I’d have done the picture in a blink of an eye.”

Virat Kohli: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Virat Kohli is not even remotely concerned about his batting form or technique.

What he said:

“Either they think I don’t deserve to be in the bad phase or they think I have a remote to score runs in every match.”

Standing in as skipper for MS Dhoni in the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka beginning today, Virat Kohli believes that his travails in England in the Tests was about lacking confidence against the moving ball rather than any failings in his time-tested technique.

Kohli answered his critics thus:

“Talks are for people to discuss. I mean there has to be something for people to talk about. I’m not really bothered.

I don’t know how I got 25 hundreds with the same technique, you can start a debate on that as well. I worked on my fitness. It’s not a nice thing to break down the whole batting when something has been working for you. Something that I’ve done is to work on my confidence a lot rather than going into technical stuff.

I don’t know why there’s been so much of hype about my bad phase. Either they think I don’t deserve to be in the bad phase or they think I have a remote to score runs in every match. I know what all I’ve learnt from that phase. I take everything normally, good or bad performance. It’s just a day in life.Yes there’re some things that I felt personally to work on. It’s just been a process to get my confidence back.

It’s much about mentally and not much about technique as otherwise you start spoiling your game.”

What he really meant:

 “I’m quite disgruntled with my disgruntled fans. Do they think that Virat Kohli’s bat has a remote control switch that can be turned off and on at will and the runs will flow? Am I a run machine?”

What he definitely didn’t:

 “I’m a confidence man.”

Sir Alex Ferguson: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Sir Alex Ferguson would rather leave West Ham behind and take home the bacon.

What he said:

“I hope that before I die, someone can explain the ‘West Ham way’. What is it? They last won a trophy in 1980, the FA Cup. I never played against any West Ham team that played football I was afraid of. They were always surviving, or lucky as hell against us.”

The updated version of “Alex Ferguson: My autobiography” has the former Manchester United boss deride West Ham United and their supposedly different style of play.

The surprising attack prompted a spirited defence from West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan.

Sullivan said:

 “I read an article this week in which Sir Alex Ferguson said he was not sure what the ‘West Ham Way’ was.Personally I think what we are witnessing right now is exactly that. We are playing attacking football with everybody giving 100 per cent and we are getting results at the same time.

Our strikers have scored nine times this season and given us what we sorely lacked last year – goals.”

What Ferguson really meant:

“I’m so mad. Why is there no Manchester United way? Is there? Or even better the Alex Ferguson way? Just count the number of trophies in my cabinet.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m lucky as hell.”

Yuvraj Singh: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Yuvraj Singh is healthily out of the Indian squad—for now.

What he said:

“Playing on one lung and playing on two lungs are completely different.”

Dashing left-hander Yuvraj Singh has never felt better in his life. The southpaw believes that he is currently at peak fitness.

Yuvraj said:

“I’ve trained quite hard. It’s been two years of hard work. I’ve never felt so good. I’m in much better shape than I was when I played the 2011 World Cup. I promise you that. Playing on one lung and playing on two lungs are completely different. As I said, I’ve given my comeback my best shot and I’ve never given up on anything. I have to keep fighting and keep believing in myself even when others don’t believe in me. That’s what I’ve always believed in.”

The 2011 World Cup man-of-the-series added:

“Of course, there is a possibility that I may never play for India again. I have considered that. But there is also the possibility that I might play for India again, and as long as I believe that I can come back and I have it in me, I’m going to keep pushing myself.”

On his recovery from lung cancer:

“This is definitely a second chance at life. Maybe I was destined to come back and play for India, and that’s why I’m still alive. I don’t know what the reasons are. There are times when I go to a YouWeCan event, I talk about cancer and awareness and early detection, which is important. But also, sometimes I do wish people understand that it’s also important for me to just focus on the game and playing it. When people come up to me and say ‘Oh Yuvi, what happened to you …’ and that kind of thing, I understand the emotion, and it’s great, but I also have to be positive and think about the future.”

What he said is what he meant.

What he definitely didn’t( Do we need this?):

Venus Williams: What she said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Venus Williams is a would-be danseuse.

What she said:

“I want to learn Indian dance. I’ve seen some interesting moves in the movies. I don’t know the names of the movies, but I enjoyed the steps. It would be great to get the help of an instructor. It’ll be a fun activity, and I’m looking forward to it. Who knows where that might take me.”

 

Venus Williams is looking forward to her visit to India next month where she will be participate in Vijay Amritraj’s Champions Tennis League representing her franchise Bangalore Raptors.

Feliciano Lopez, Thomas Enqvist and Ramkumar Ramanathan are her partners-in-racquets.

Venus said:

“India is always in my plans. I’ve been meaning to return after my first visit, but I didn’t get an opportunity…. Serena and I did well in the tournament; we played a great semifinal. I’m excited to be back in Bangalore again. 

Vijay’s (Amritraj) standing in Indian tennis and given all that he has achieved internationally, besides my desire to visit India again, was why I decided to play the league.

Indian tennis has great history. Sania (Mirza) had a good win in Singapore. Doubles success is not something that should be taken lightly. There will come a stage when success in doubles could translate into performances in singles.”

 

On her retirement plans:

“I definitely aim to play Rio, the 2016 Olympics.

After that, let’s see. I don’t think I can plan that far ahead. I have enjoyed this season, played a lot of good matches; got some good results. I’m getting better physically and game-wise, and my confidence is up again. I’m looking forward to 2015. I have a few things that I would like to improve in my game, my second serve for instance. Most of the goals I have in tennis at this stage are to do with skills rather than numbers.”

On the sari:

“It is one of my favourite outfits. I’ve forgotten how to tie it, though. I want to re-learn that. It’s an elegant attire, and I’d like to get a handle on how to wear it.”

What she really meant:

“Bollywood choreographed dancing seems like a great aerobic workout. What a fun way to exercise. Perhaps it’ll help me get on ‘Dancing With The Stars’.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“You think, I can be an Item Girl in ‘Dhoom 4’?”

Caroline Wozniacki: What she said, really meant and definitely didn’t

English: Caroline Wozniacki at the 2010 US Open after winning against Chan Yung-jan. 6-1, 6-0. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caroline Wozniacki is not looking for excuses to not run the New York City marathon.

What she said:

“I was like, ‘I’ve got this; I’m cool; it’s going to be easy. And then I started running more, and in Asia I felt like, ‘Where am I going to run?’ I started panicking a little bit — uh oh, it’s getting close, and I don’t know if I can do this.”

Tennis heartthrob Caroline Wozniacki feels training for the New York City marathon has aided her tennis  game specifically helping her outlast Maria Sharapova in a three-hour three-set match at the year-ending WTA championship.

Wozniacki said:

“I think you can never feel too sure in life. You can’t really plan ahead because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. To be honest, this half of the year I’ve been great tennis-wise, and the running and everything has definitely helped me with everything. It’s cleared my head, but also it’s helped me physically, and I feel stronger on the court. So it’s been a great thing for me. It’s a nice challenge.”

Alex Ferguson: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Alex Ferguson updates his Manchester United legacy.

What he said:

“It is an insult to say that I left an ageing squad.Chelsea have seven players over 30 but nobody talks about them being an old team.”

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was promoting the revised version of his autobiography, “Alex Ferguson: My autobiography” at London’s Theatre Royal.

What he really meant:

“Hell, no one would have said a word if MU had continued their winning ways. Did I forget to mention that I did not quit midway?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Chelsea are handling the transition better. Well, somebody’s gotta win and somebody’s gotta lose, right?”

Louis Van Gaal: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Louis Van Gaal has no time for last-minute shirtless histrionics.

What he said:

“He did a stupid reaction after the goal.You can be excited but you don’t have to pull your shirt off because then you have a yellow card. It is not so smart.”

Manchester United boss, Louis Van Gaal rebukes fellow Dutchman Robin Van Persie for taking off his jersey while celebrating his 94th minute equaliser against Chelsea. It was the first time since 9 December 2012 that United scored in injury time to either draw or snatch a victory.

Robin van Persie (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Van Persie was booked by referee Phil Dowd for the infringement.

What he really meant:

“Couldn’t he have waited till the game was over to celebrate? He held back till the 94th minute, didn’t he?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“How about tiny-necked shirts for the players? That way, they’ll think twice about tearing them off especially when they’ll look like headless chickens with the tees draped around their heads…”

Luis Suarez: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Embed from Getty Images

Luis Suarez believes that a bitten opponent, unlike an injured one, is not damaged goods.

What he said:

“I know biting appals a lot of people, but it’s relatively harmless.”

Luis Suarez, in his book, “Crossing the line: My story” reveals his reaction to the four-month ban for chewing his adversary, Giorgio Chiellini, in the 2014 World Cup game against Italy.

Suarez writes:

“Had the ban stopped at nine Uruguay matches, I would have understood it. But banning me from playing for Liverpool, when my bans in England never prevented me from playing for Uruguay? Banning me from all stadiums worldwide? Telling me I couldn’t go to work? Stopping me from even jogging around the perimeter of a football pitch? It still seems incredible to me that, until the Court of Arbitration for Sport decreed otherwise, Fifa’s power actually went that far.

They had never banned a player like that before for breaking someone’s leg or smashing someone’s nose across his face, as Mauro Tassotti did to Luis Enrique at the 1994 World Cup. They made a big thing of saying the incident had happened ‘before the eyes of the world’. Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi in a World Cup final in 2006 and got a three-match ban.

I was an easy target, maybe. But there was something important I had to face up to: I had made myself an easy target. I made the mistake. It was my fault. This was the third time it had happened. I needed help.

After my 10-match ban in 2013 for biting Branislav Ivanovic, I had questioned the double standards and how the fact that no one actually gets hurt is never taken into consideration. The damage to the player is incomparable with that suffered by a horrendous challenge. Sometimes English football takes pride in having the lowest yellow-card count in Europe, but of course it will have if you can take someone’s leg off and still not be booked. When they can say it is the league with the fewest career-threatening tackles, then it will be something to be proud of.”

Suarez added:

“When Ivanovic rolled up his sleeve to show the referee the mark at Anfield, there was virtually nothing there. None of the bites has been like Mike Tyson on Evander Holyfield’s ear. But none of this makes it right.”

The Uruguayan star attempts to explain why he is cannibalistic on the pitch:

“The fear of failure clouds everything for me – even the blatantly obvious fact that I have at least 20,000 pairs of eyes on me; it is not as if I am not going to be seen. Logic doesn’t come into it.

Equally illogical is that it should be a bite. There was a moment in a game against Chile in 2013 when a player grabbed me between the legs and I reacted by punching him. I didn’t get banned for that. That’s considered a normal, acceptable response. When I called Ivanovic after the 2013 incident, he told me that the police had come to see him and asked if he wanted to press charges, and thankfully he had said no. I’m grateful to him, because the circus could have gone on for a lot longer. Punch someone and it’s forgotten, there is no circus. So why do I take the most self-destructive route?

The problem is that this switching off also happens when I do something brilliant on the pitch and, of course, I don’t want to lose that. I’ve scored goals and later struggled to understand how exactly I managed to score them. There is something about the way I play that is unconscious, for better or worse. I want to release the tension and the pressure, but I don’t want to lose the spontaneity in my game, much less the intensity of my style of play.”

What he really meant:

“It’s certainly harmless—for me. I don’t need my mouth to shoot goals; It’d be folly to bruise my feet,head or shoulders while foully taking my opponent down.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m a man who believes in toothing my own horn.”