Dravid was really invested in India becoming the best team in the world: Chappell

Greg Chappell's tenure with the Indian cricket team was marred by controversies as he and the then captain Sourav Ganguly did not see eye to eye on many issues. Rahul Dravid was appointed captain after Ganguly was sacked, but after India crashed out of the 2007 World Cup, Chappell's time with the team had come to an end.  However, the former Australia captain reveals that Dravid was the one who was really invested in India becoming the best team, while a few others were keener on holding on to their place in the team.

"Dravid was really invested in India becoming the best team in the world. Sadly, not everyone in the team had the same feeling. They would rather concentrate on being in the team. There was some resistance from some of the senior players because some of them were coming to the end of their careers," Chappell revealed on Cricket Life Stories Podcast.

Chappell adds that Ganguly's axe sent a clear message within the team that they too could be next in line.  "When Sourav got dropped from the team, we had a lot of attention from the players, because they realized if he can go, anyone can go. We had a great 12 months, but then the resistance got too much, Ganguly came back into the team. The message from the players was loud and clear – 'We don't want change.' Even though the board offered me a new contract, I decided that I did not need that kind of stress," Chappell added.

There are reports that suggest Dravid could be the stopgap head coach of a depleted Indian side when the national team tours Sri Lanka for a limited-overs series. Ravi Shastri, on the other hand, will be in England as the full-fledged Indian side prepares for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and a Test series against the hosts.