Chaotic departure upsets Chappell

India coach Greg Chappell was a visibly upset man on Monday night as the Indian team prepared to embark on the tour of Zimbabwe.

He looked annoyed as he appeared for a press conference at a five-star hotel, where the team had assembled prior to its departure, and his answers to the first few questions thrown at him reflected his state of mind.

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According to Board of Control for Cricket in India sources, he was upset because the team members were allowed to troop into the hotel as and when they pleased, with captain Sourav Ganguly being among the last to check in, at around 9.40 pm.

Mohammad Kaif and Harbhajan Singh were seen checking in at eight in the evening despite the Board clearly asking the players to assemble in the morning.

The BCCI had earlier scheduled the media briefing for 1800 IST, but it was later changed to 2100 IST as Ganguly had not yet reached Mumbai. It finally started at 2130 with Chappell and physio John Gloster addressing the gathering. Ganguly was conspicuous by his absence.

In fact, while Chappell, Gloster, trainer Gregory Allen King and bio-mechanics expert Ian Frazer sported India blazers, Ganguly, who addressed the media at 10 pm, was surprisingly casually attired. And, needless to say, the India skipper did not even care to apologise for his unpunctuality.