It is agreed unofficially throughout India that the second most challenging job is being the captain of Indian cricket team. Of course, the first one is reserved for the Prime Minister! Some might even say that the burden on the Indian captain is even more than that on the turban of the Prime Minister.

The captain will have an able ally in Greg Chappell, the new coach of the Indian cricket team. He brings with him some of the most revolutionary ideas the Indian team will have ever seen. The most significant one might be to undo the superstardom of certain players not only amongst the players, but also amongst the media and the public.

Recently, in an interview, Chappell was piqued when asked repeatedly about the status of Sachin Tendulkar's fitness. His emphatic response was that he was not interested in speaking about individual players but only about the team. Good start to his campaign.

Indian media and the public has always emphasized on their cricket stars rather than the team as a whole. Unfortunately, cricket is a team game. One or two player's performances or records will immaterialize in the bigger picture of the success of a team. Most often, people are looking for the statistics of the players.

Chappell, by his fitting riposte, has made sure the media knows why he is here for. That is to make a successful Indian team rather than a few individual stars. He would take any day when India wins with no centurions instead of ones in a losing cause.

Chappell will bring a sense of toughness and will crack the whip when required. Often Indian coaches say that there is no need to hire a foreigner for a job for which there are many suitable candidates with excellent background in India itself.

They think that a foreigner will find it difficult to understand the culture and ultimately will fail to produce results. Understand culture? He is not here for a history lesson. And not understanding the culture will only be a blessing in disguise. Anyway, some of the Indian coaches' understanding did not necessarily make India, world champions. So, what is the need for carping and cribbing?

Some of the skills brought to the plate by Chappell are frank and straightforward approach, excellent communication skills, calling a spade, a spade, tap untested talent, making mentally strong cricketers and characters and possess a keen sense of observation without any pre-conceived notion.

None of the things above are related to cricket. This is not to say he has no cricketing talent. Some of his achievements include being named in the all-time best Australian team of the last century, scoring 7000+ Test runs, being one of few men world-wide to hit centuries in his first and last Test innings, being a successful coach of the South Australian team which went on to win the Sheffield shield.

He even has written a book entitled "Greg Chappell on Coaching: The Making of Champions" and has dedicated a website to learning and discussing cricket:   www.chappellway.com. All these represent true credentials of a true sporting icon.

Chappell focuses on nuances of the game, keeping the game simple without too much ‘technicalities’. All he wants is a player who can perform. He does not care about a player’s certain technical deficiency, his footwork, his stance, his grip. This is not to say that he is not qualified to make a suggestion or two regarding all of the above when a player approaches him.

But, he wants to give freedom to the players’ thought process, channeling the right ideas and energy in the right direction and at the same time making sure those ideas match with his own, created with the larger interest of Indian cricket in mind.

He will never tolerate selfishness, back-biting, dishonesty, lack of perseverance and a distinct lack of commitment to excellence. He can run down any high profile player in public when the situation demands it, either as a means of revitalizing the player’s hunger for success or just to make him clear that he is only as important as any other member of the team.

He is known to be a stickler for punctuality and preparedness. He also has the ability to bestow responsibility on erring individuals, thereby making themselves results of their own actions, good or bad.

He will give fringe players a chance not only to gauge their potential but also to make sure that the other ‘permanent’ members are shaken off their comfort zones. Too many times we have seen players not performing because they were ‘sure’ members of the team. Under Chappell, it is strictly a no-no!

The pitfall of heading a truly world class team in a nation devoid of any interest or talent for other sports will also be that he will be constantly monitored by the media, his every idea screened and scrutinized. He will have to take the brunt of the backlash for any underperformance.

Suddenly, everybody will question the wisdom of the powers-that-be to select him as coach, ahead of other strong national contenders, his ‘revolutionary’ ideas and ideals will be ridiculed and he will soon be a butt of jokes amongst the media. Will he be able to handle that? Will he be able to wade through the waters of uncertainty and reach the shore safely and successfully? Only time will tell.

On the other hand, if he is to become the most successful coach and help India win the 2007 World Cup, he might even get an honorary Indian citizenship! His greatest challenge will be to make himself impervious to intense media and public scrutiny. If he can handle that, Chappell will be the most successful coach India will have ever had.

One thing is sure. With Chappell, India will be a better team. Isn’t it time India better be a team?