New cricket coach Greg Chappell insists that there are many people who know more than him in certain areas of the game and he would not hesitate to take their services for developing India into a champion team.
The former Australia captain, who formally took charge on Thursday on a two-year term, said he has plans of expanding his support staff with experts from various fields.
"I don't claim to own all the wisdom about cricket. There are people who know more than me in certain areas. I will be wanting to tap into those people from time to time both in India and outside India," Chappell told PTI in Bangalore in an exclusive interview on Saturday.
"I have got a couple of people in mind who have skills that are different from mine and I believe that they can play a very important role in developing a unit that will become a champion team," he said.
Chappell, however, did not divulge any names or the expertise he would seek.
"I don't wish to discuss in details about who the individuals are and what their particular skills are. But from time to time we will need a range of skills across the board, from cricket skills to mental skills to nutrition.
"Support staff needs to be such that players don't have to worry about anything but focus on what they need to do to be ready to play cricket," the 56-year-old said.
Chappell said he is comfortable with the idea of a two-year contract, which was enough to put the team in the right direction.
"Two years on one hand is a long time; on the other hand it is a short time. Within that period we will have a pretty good idea whether we are heading in the right direction or not.
"I am quite comfortable with the two-year period. So I am not concerned about that. If we put things in place ... it should be in place in two years time and we will see that the team is moving forward and, hopefully, there might be a chance to discuss further time," he said.
On how he planned to deal with out-of-form players like Sourav Ganguly, Chappell said, "I am not prepared to talk about individual players. Anyone who plays at this level for any length of time is going to go through fluctuation cycles. It's all about focus and being able to focus.
"It should be really a matter of sitting down with them, working and talking with them about their thought processes. That's an important part. When you are playing well, generally thinking well, you are relaxed. There are not too many distractions. You are able to focus on what you are doing at that time. When you are out of form generally you are out of focus," Chappell explained.
"I will be talking to players about what were the processes, what are the processes they go through when they are successful. What are the processes you are going through now. Generally there is quite a big difference. It is a matter of getting them back on track," he added.
Chappell said he is keen to have a good relationship with the selectors and discuss with them on how the system would work.
"It's important that I have good relationship with the players, with the selectors. How that pans out I don't know. I don't have a fixed view.
"I want to sit down with the selectors and talk to them how the system will work. What their philosophies are, talk about my philosophy and make sure that we can work together and get the best eleven players on the field for every game."
On whether he is keen to have a vote in selection matters, Chappell replied: "I am not saying I want to be a selector. What I am saying is I want to have a good relationship with the selectors. I am aware of what's happening. But equally I need to have a rapport with the players and so, being a selector is not necessarily the best solution. But that will pan out in time."
He said it is imperative that the coach, the support staff, the selectors and the administrators are on the "same page" when it comes to getting the best team on the field.
"If we are all trying to achieve the same thing, which I hope is for India to be the champion cricket team of the world then we, each group, has to do what it has to do very well. We have to be coordinated and moving smoothly towards that goal."
