Greg Chappell has had a turbulent time since he became coach of the Indian cricket team. His downward slide began with the sacking of Saurav Ganguly, the continuous experimentation of the team set-up and the recent string of poor performances in 2006. Chappell has now become the target of a political party.

From the time of Ganguly's exclusion, the media and public have hounded the former Australian Test hero. When India played South Africa in 2005, the fans cheered the Proteas, while booing the Indian team. Then, when certain MPs blamed Chappell for the team's poor performances, he retorted that MPs are paid to say such things. The politicians had their say and the troubles for Chappell only worsened.

The Hindi media have used Chappell's frustration to boost their ratings. First there was the time when Chappell allegedly showed the 'middle finger' to some fans in Kolkatta. Then, when the team arrived home from South Africa, he shoved the microphone of a particular news channel away, refusing to talk. The issue was blown out of proportion and Chappell was furthur isolated.

The Chappell tenure has shown Indian fans at their most fanatical and irrational. In Kolkatta, this irrationality has reached an absurd level. The fact that Chappell was almost assaulted is a result of all this negativity built around him. The 'Kalinga Sena' faction, which attempted to carry out the assault, has got its share of publicity, and now Chappell faces a turbulent time ahead of the World Cup.

This incident has exposed the dangerous side of the Indian public. The demonstrations that have been carried out in Kolkatta for close to a year have led to this action. Sentimentality, activism and demonstrations are on the agenda when the talking points should only be about talent and consistency. Let us hope that the Indian team does not get distracted  -  Chappell is an asset rather than a liability.

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