Chappell draws ‘lessons from Tendulkar, Redpath’

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has compared the ongoing pandemic with a five-day game, saying the need of the hour is to display patience, determination and initiative to tide over the crisis.

Chappell cited the example of two "influential innings" of Sachin Tendulkar and fellow Australian opener Ian Redpath, which according to him displayed all the three qualities needed to bail out of the current situation.

"With the Covid-19 pandemic biting hard, citizens of all countries are being asked to display - among other attributes - patience, determination, and a bit of initiative. These are qualities essential to playing Test cricket at a high level," Chappell wrote in a column for espncricinfo.com.

"To highlight the point I've chosen two particularly influential innings. The first one is a Sachin Tendulkar masterpiece in Chennai in 1998 [against Australia]. His brilliant second-innings 155 won the Test, but it wouldn't have happened without the initiative displayed by Tendulkar in the lead-up to the series.

Chappell rates that innings as one of the best of Tendulkar and said the master blaster's initiative and determination stood out.

The other innings which stood out in Chappell's memory in this context was that of Redpath against the West Indies at the MCG in 1976.

"Combine Tendulkar's initiative and determination with Redpath's patient courage and you have some of the qualities required to survive this devastating pandemic," the 76-year-old signed off.