Following India’s runner-up finish at the 2003 ODI World Cup, where they lost to Australia in the final, Chappell was appointed head coach in June 2005. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh recently opened up about the challenging period the Indian cricket team endured during Greg Chappell’s tenure as head coach. Given his stature as one of the game’s greats, his appointment generated immense excitement among fans, who looked forward to seeing him work with stars such as Sachin Tendulkar , Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid .
At the 2007 World Cup, India, who had reached the final in 2003, suffered a humiliating group-stage elimination.
He implemented a divide-and-rule policy, where he made the players fight among themselves while acting as the ruler,” said Harbhajan. “The way Chappell behaved with Dada (Ganguly), and whatever he did with the Indian team during those days, it was one of the darkest and worst chapters in the history of Indian cricket. Appointing him as head coach was one of the worst decisions made by the Indian management. One of their biggest setbacks came in the form of a shock defeat to Bangladesh, which played a major role in their early exit from the tournament.
