FORD IN DRIVER'S SEAT

So Graham Ford is the Indian cricket coach. No suprises there. John Emburey was anyway just the BCCI's way of prolonging the suspense.

Ford's appointment is a first for the BCCI, being the first time someone without a playing background to boast of, making it to the helm. Here's hoping that a non-player like him is more likely to listen and less prone to dominate, making things a two-way process. He didn't do too badly for SouthA frica during his tenure, only unlucky to get the sack in the revamp which followed the match-fixing scandal.

In India's case at least, the quieter ones have been more successful as coach, be it Ajit Wadekar or John Wright. And those with the most distinguished career records have been disasters, like Bishen Bedi, Greg Chappell and Kapil Dev. Bedi's quip about throwing the Indian team into the Pacific Ocean after losing to Australia in a 1990 onedayer did not help matters one bit. As for Chappell, he failed woefully in man-management. Also, one cannot be a coach banking on instinct alone like a Kapil Dev. It's about science too.

What India needs is a backroom player who blends with the team and not a quote-happy (and email-happy) dominating force. A team united behind the coach is needed for starters, considering Team India is now light years behind the Australias and the Sri Lankas.

And yes, the most successful coach around was only a club-level cricketer with only seven Sheffield Shield appearances for Queensland to boast of. A certain John Buchanan.

Wishing the second import from Kent all the best. Hoping he can also provide the Wright medicine, just like the New Zealander who came to India in 2001, helped considerably by Rahul Dravid's successful Kent stint in 2000.