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Calcutta: Dr Sandy Gordon, whose guidance was very well received by the Team India cricketers in the John Wright era, has no place in successor Greg Chappell’s scheme of things ? not now at least.
The Perth-based Dr Gordon’s last interaction with Sourav Ganguly & Co. was during the 2003-04 tour of Australia. He will, one assumes, always be remembered for having inspired the ‘Now or Never’ theme in the last World Cup.
According to The Telegraph’s sources, Chappell has recommended (to the Board) the services of another sports psychologist, Dr Charles Krebs, be utilised.
Chappell, however, hasn’t indicated the preferred frequency of the interaction. He hasn’t specified the remuneration expected by Dr Krebs either.
Dr Krebs is the author of A Revolutionary Way of Thinking and, who knows, may have a bigger impact than Dr Gordon. Chappell obviously believes so.
Chappell has also recommended sports scientist Ian Frazer (who has specialised in cricket, particularly the mechanics of bowling) be engaged to work with Team India.
Again, Chappell has neither specified the frequency of Frazer’s interaction nor his remuneration.
A one-time left-handed bat for Victoria, Frazer is a business associate of Chappell.
Chappell’s recommendations were “discussed” by the Board’s working committee, which met in Kovalam on Thursday-Friday.
“The Board is seeking clarifications, both on how often the two are required to work and the remuneration aspect. A decision on their appointment is only going to be made once Chappell has replied,” a source pointed out, on Saturday.
Chappell hasn’t asked for a full-fledged bowling or fielding coach to be added to the support staff.
Rather unnecessarily, though, the working committee decided that the six-member ‘selection’ panel which picked Chappell will “off and on” formally interact with him over the next two years.
Besides three Board officials, the panel features former captains Srinivas Venkatraghavan, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri.
The idea isn’t to interfere with Chappell’s functioning, but it could have been left to the president (Ranbir Singh Mahendra) and/or secretary S.K.Nair to do the needful. Perhaps, even the chief selector (Kiran More).
In any case, no panel ever interacted with Wright.
Meanwhile, the dates of the pre-season conditioning camps are going to be finalised once Chappell returns to India around June 15.
Trainer Greg King has specifically suggested two camps (the first exclusively for fitness), but his plans have to be endorsed by Chappell.
Both camps should be held in Bangalore, where the National Cricket Academy is located.
Apparently, those on the County circuit ? Sourav, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Mongia and Irfan Pathan ? are set to be excused from camp No. 1.
It’s to be seen whether Sourav gets exempted from the second camp too. For, if the ICC-imposed ban on him stays, he won’t be available for the 2005-06 season-launching tri-series in Sri Lanka.
The meet is billed for August 2-14.