Chappelli, my idol and pal

My first cricket hero was Gundappa Viswanath but Ian Chappell is the one who I grew up idolising after being initiated into the sportThere was no TV coverage of overseas cricket in the early 1970s Radio was the only realtime link to cricket action happening outside of India I would be glued to Radio Australia whenever matches were played in that country and this was my introduction to ChappellThere was a buzz around him when he was playing His name would crop up in the commentary more frequently than any other playerrsquos even when he wasnrsquot batting The 197475 Ashes series tipped everything in Chappellrsquos favour where I was concerned His dashing approach as a batsman and hard aggression as captain made a huge impact on meAustraliarsquos captain Ian Chappell is set to introduce the Queen to his players at Lordrsquos in 1975From an early age I found the socalled niceties of the game somewhat hypocritical If you donrsquot take the field to win why play at all Chappell was the kind of player I wanted to be He was a polarising figure in his heyday He played really hard but also played fair as I got to understand which seemed the best way to playI would read about how he would be in eyeballtoeyeball confrontation with opponents on the field then share a beer with the same person immediately after the game This was lsquospirit of cricketrsquo for me and made Chappell even more endearingA fantastic captainHe was obviously a fantastic captain not losing a single series He had the ability to get the best out of his players and under him Australia became worldbeaters in the 1970s Itrsquos not often that players are revered by teammates long after their playing days are over but Chappell still commands the loyalty of those who played under him This says something about his character and personal charismaRavi ShastriI got to know Chappell on the several tours we made of Australia from the 1980s and used these opportunities to pick his brain get insights into why he was so successful as a captain Essentially as I understood this was because he was always looking to take a match forward not waiting for things to happenI got to know him better when we became fellow commentators for Mark Mascarenhasrsquos WorldTel Like me Mark too admired Chappell hugely and there were several evenings we spent discussing cricketrsquos past present and futureHe had the reputation of being abrasive but that was far from the real Chappell as I discovered working with him True he could be as blunt as a shovel irrespective of the reputation of the other party But not pointlessly only if he believed there was an absence of reason or misuse of position by the otherDroll sense of humourI love his droll sense of humour too It takes a while to get used to it because he is not the boisterous guffawing kind He has biting wit and with age this has become even sharperWhen Mark was around evenings used to be great fun because they both were masters at legpulling though in contrasting style Mark was large and loud with a Yankeersquos penchant for drama and overthetop debates Chappell would be surgeonlike using his words like a scalpel to make his pointMost of the time he was an original in such matters but on one issue I can claim he was my follower I remember a match in Colombo which WorldTel was broadcasting It rained and rained that day ruining any prospect of playMark who was in the box with us turned to me and said lsquoLooks a total washout hard luck guysrsquo implying that there was to be no payment My response to him was lsquoOnce the tie is worn and we are at the ground the meterrsquos running Markrsquo Chappell loved this so much that it became his standard dig at Mark whenever play looked doubtfulChappell has an elephantrsquos memory He remembers everything about everybody he has met and particularly those hersquos played with or against Over the past few decades over several conversations Irsquove discovered his fascination for two players Doug Walters and Erapalli PrasannaWalters he holds in high esteem for his skills and matchwinning abilities so much so that Chappell was willing to look the other way at some of Dougiersquos indiscretions Prasanna he admired for his skill and mastery over flight the ability to deceive the best batsmen in the airIf you press the play button on these two players Chappell will spend at least a couple of hours on eachHe is a brilliant incisive commentator because hersquos proactive and can read and analyse proceedings swiftly more often than not ahead of everyone else But thatrsquos just one part of why he is so admired among fans and the cricketing fraternity The other is his candour He says it as he sees it without beating around the bushHe may be wrong at times though that hasnrsquot happened often and never hesitates to correct himself His passion and love for cricket overrode all other affiliations and considerations When Greg Chappell asked Trevor Chappell to bowl underarm against New Zealand Ian Chappell was the biggest critic of his brothers especially Greg who was then captainEnjoyable companyIrsquove always enjoyed Chappellrsquos company There are no false starts with him What you see is what you get He is an excellent storyteller who can have you in splits with his anecdotes and impersonations Whenever we toured Australia my wife Ritu and I would look forward to an evening or two with Chappell He always came armed with some bottles of fine wine and new storiesOutside of cricket what you also get is a man who values loyalty and friendship He came to Bangalore for Mark Mascarenhasrsquos funeral He neednrsquot have But then he wouldnrsquot be Ian ChappellEdited excerpts from Star Gazing The Players in My Life by Ravi Shastri with Ayaz Memon published by HarperCollinsIan Chappellrsquos column will be published tomorrow