Captain courageous and Sachin special, says Chappell

New Delhi, Feb 24 (UNI) Coach Greg Chappell today showered lavish praise over skipper Rahul Dravid saying India was lucky to have a leader like him.

Talking to NDTV, the Aussie gave credit to Rahul Dravid for metamorphosing India into a winning machine and said 'The Wall' always led from the front.

''Rahul is well endowed with courage. He never asks anyone to do the things he couldn't do himself. His captaincy is improving and we are lucky to have a leader of his qualities,'' he said.

An otherwise stone-faced Chappell suddenly brimmed with joy when he was enquired about Sachin Tendulkar. He found the ''exaggerated'' talks of the demise of the genius ''amusing'' and suggested that the Master Blaster was still evolving.

''Sachin's game has been evolving. He is such a good player and a team man. The wickets he take and the runs he make are going to make a big influence on the team.'' On Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chappell said the dashing stumper had provided much-needed flexibility to the Indian middle-order.

The former batting great also complimented the youngsters, who helped India maul the formidable Pakistanis 4-1 in their den in the ODIs, and said the Gen Next was going to make a difference in the Tests as well.

''You see what happened in the ODI series (in Pakistan). This youthful enthusiasm is going to make difference in the Tests as well.'' On a more candid note, Chappell admitted the job of coaching India had not been a smooth riding all the while and he even felt frustrated at times.

''It's been a great experience. It's been exciting, challenging and frustrating. I had highs and I had lows. But it's been an honour to coach a great cricketing nation like India,'' he summed up.

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