Greg Chappell

Calcutta: Rahul Dravid will collect the Hutch Cup in Karachi, on Sunday, but the biggest winner has been Team India coach Greg Chappell.

True, India posted an unprecedented 6-1 win over Sri Lanka at home earlier this season ? reducing the disappointment of losing successive tri-series finals (Colombo, Harare) ? but the real test was Pakistan.

In any case, the series immediately after the one versus Lanka ? again at home, against South Africa ? had ended 2-2.

So, for the 2007 World Cup-driven Chappell Doctrine to be embraced fully, this five-match ODI series had to be pocketed convincingly.

Given the stand taken by Chappell during the squad’s acrimonious selection, via a tele-conference on the opening day of the Karachi Test, he had more at stake than any of the 15 originally chosen.

The ‘problem’, predictably, was over Sourav Ganguly and Chappell was firm about not having him (in the ODIs) for the first time since the tri-series in Zimbabwe.

According to The Telegraph’s sources, he didn’t even want the former captain as a 16th player ? Dravid, by the way, kept himself out of the crossfire. Not many days later, though, Ramesh Powar was summoned as a ‘cover’ for Harbhajan Singh?

With the ODI series in the bag and public memory short (not many may remember the disgraceful show in the Karachi Test), Chappell is bound to speak with an even firmer voice when he next sits with Kiran More and his colleagues.

It’s possible that Chappell won’t have his way when the Test squads are picked for the series versus England, but it’s bound to be different when the focus is on the ODIs.

There’s this impression that Chappell has a rather personal agenda, but nothing succeeds like success and he can argue that even if he has one, the bottomline remains healthy.

That’s what counts.

Incidentally, the panache with which young Suresh Raina went about his job in Multan seemed to light up the otherwise impassive Chappell.

Every run scored was, it appeared, actually a point being made. Of course, it’s somewhat of a mystery how Gautam Gambhir fits into the ambitious scheme of things.

The three-Test series against England begins in Nagpur on March 1, while the first of seven ODIs is to be played on March 28.