'Want honesty? Ask a Chappell his frank opinion'

Ian Chappell, the legendary Australian captain, has come out with his thoughts on the Greg Chappell-Sourav Ganguly controversy and feels that Ganguly should have been prepared for an honest and ruthless answer the moment he asked for a "frank opinion". Ian Chappell, Greg's elder brother, described the manner in which they had been brought up and said he was least surprised by the way events unfolded.

"Greg can be a very patient man, much more diplomatic than either his father or his elder brother," wrote Ian Chappell in his column in Mid Day,a Mumbai-based tabloid. "However, if you don't want to hear the truth, then don't ask him for a frank opinion. Greg Chappell grew up in a household where frank opinions were served up at the breakfast table more often than cereal and fruit juice.

"If Indian cricket wanted someone who would passionately seek to help players who wanted to improve, would do his utmost to put the best team on the field for every match without fear or favour and would offer a frank opinion when asked, then they were on the right track with Greg Chappell."

He mentioned Greg Chappell's insistence on a high standard of fielding and fitness and said it was ingrained in them from an early age. "We all [Ian, Greg and Trevor Chappell] had reputations for being either a good catcher or an excellent ground fielder," he said. "As a player Greg maintained an exceedingly high standard in both facets of fielding and it used to get right up his nose when he felt others were being lazy in the field. It probably still does." These comments come in the wake of Greg Chappell's e-mail to the Indian board which said Ganguly was "no longer able to meet the standards of mental and physical fitness that international cricket demands."

The elder Chappell also pointed out the tough decisions in pursuit of success that Greg had taken when he captained Australia and later when he was appointed national selector. "Greg was part of a panel that took some tough decisions that eventually led to the lengthy period of success," he wrote. "In drawing up the blueprint for a successful future, that panel sacked some talented but undisciplined players. They replaced them with skilful cricketers who had pride in their own performance as well as an extreme desire to achieve victory for the team."