Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has opened up about the challenging period the Indian cricket team went through during Greg Chappell's tenure as head coach.
Speaking on the Prakhar Gupta Podcast, Harbhajan called that phase as “the darkest days of Indian cricket” and accused Chappell of adopting a “divide and rule” policy within the team.
"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. He implemented a divide-and-rule policy, where he made the players fight among themselves while acting as the ruler," said Harbhajan.
"He spoiled the entire team. The players who played together in the 2003 ODI World Cup and shared such great bonding were no longer talking to each other. Our team was one of the strongest and most closely-knit teams, and he literally broke it apart," he added.
ALSO READ: Nike Becomes Mumbai Indians' Official Kit Partner For Men's And Women's Teams
A Much-Awaited Appointment
India finished as runners-up at the 2003 ODI World Cup, where they lost to Australia in the final. Chappell was appointed head coach in June 2005.
Given his stature as one of the game's greats, the appointment generated immense excitement among fans, who looked forward to seeing him work with stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
Controversy And A Shock Exit
Chappell's stint, however, was followed by controversies, and it ended with India's shocking group-stage exit from the 2007 ODI World Cup.
“Divide And Rule” Allegation
Harbhajan went further, suggesting that Chappell may have deliberately created divisions in the dressing room to weaken the side. He argued that India were among the few teams capable of consistently challenging Australia in that era.
"In my opinion, Chappell's main strategy was something else. In those days, India were the only team that consistently challenged Australia. It's possible that he tried to divide us so that we couldn't play as a united team on the field and would eventually lose matches. The same thing happened during the 2007 World Cup," he claimed.
Humiliation In The Caribbean
The Indian team, led by Rahul Dravid, exited the 2007 World Cup in the group stage. Many considered it a major humiliation for Indian cricket, given the calibre and stature of the players in the squad.
ALSO READ: MS Dhoni Was Made India Captain At 26: Harbhajan Singh Reveals Why Seniors Had No Problem
One of their biggest setbacks was a shock defeat to Bangladesh, which played a major role in their early elimination from the tournament.
In the previous edition, in South Africa in 2003, India, led by Sourav Ganguly, reached the final but lost to Australia comfortably by 125 runs.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.