Harbhajan Singh Takes A Subtle Dig At Greg Chappell, Says 'He Was Playing Different Games'

Harbhajan Singh was a crucial part of the Indian cricket team throughout the first decade of the 21st century. The off-spinner has seen that every single phase that the Indian team went through during that period of time and according to him, the Greg Chappell era (2005-07) was possibly the worst time of Indian cricket.

The off-spinning legend took a subtle dig at the former controversial coach after Chappell recently revealed in an interview that he was the one who had asked MS Dhoni to play along the ground, and it was during his tenure that MSD transformed from a six-hitting beast to a street-smart finisher.

Chappell had alluded to an incident from the 2005 ODI series against Sri Lanka where he had asked Dhoni, who had just stroked his career-best 183 in Jaipur, to play along the ground in the very next game.

Responding to Chappell’s claims, Harbhajan Singh wrote that the reason Dhoni was hitting along the ground is because the coach (Chappell) was hitting “everyone out of the park”

“He asked Dhoni to play along the ground coz coach was hitting everyone out the par.. He was playing different games #worstdaysofindiancricketundergreg (sic).”

Also Read: Greg Chappell Reveals He Was Awestruck When He Saw MS Dhoni Bat For The First Time

Harbhajan Singh has been critical of Greg Chappell’s tenure in the past as well

Greg Chappell’s tenure as an Indian coach was marred with never-ending controversies. His spat with the then Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, whom he had asked to step-down, was much publicized after his email to the BCCI in which he wrote that Ganguly was mentally unfit to lead the time, was leaked in the media.

Ganguly was subsequently stripped from the captaincy post and was also dropped from the team. Interestingly, it was Ganguly, who had recommended Chappell for the coaching role; a decision that the former Indian captain regrets to this day.

“Hiring him was the biggest mistake of my career. I had known a different person from a stint as my batting coach in Australia. I don’t know what led to our relationship breaking down. After the 2007 World Cup, I haven’t interacted with him,” Ganguly had told Hindustan Times in 2018.

He asked Dhoni to play along the ground coz coach was hitting everyone out the park.. He was playing different games ?#worstdaysofindiancricketundergreg ??? https://t.co/WcnnZbHqSx

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) May 13, 2020

This is not the first time that Harbhajan Singh, a key member of the team that Chappell coached, has voiced his opinion against the former Australian captain. Back in 2014, the turbanator had accused Chappell of destroying Indian cricket and a few players of ‘sucking up to the coach’

“Chappell destroyed Indian cricket to such an extent that it required at least 3 years to again get back on track. The worst part was that some, players in that team, who sucked up to the coach would supply selective misinformation creating a bigger rift,” Harbhajan Singh was quoted as saying by Cricket Next then.

Chappell’s controversial stint as an Indian coach ended with the 2007 World Cup after the Men in Blue were knocked out of the competition in the group stage.

Also Read: Harbhajan Singh Calls For More Involvement Of Bowlers In The ICC; Slams The Apex-Body For ‘Bad Rule’