Cricket: Chappell appointed India coach

NEW DELHI - Former Australia captain Greg Chappell was appointed India's cricket coach today.

He succeeds ex-New Zealand captain John Wright.

The 56-year-old Chappell, one of the finest batsmen of his generation, was chosen ahead of his younger compatriot Tom Moody, India's Mohinder Amarnath and former West Indies opener Desmond Haynes.

"The decision was unanimous. His contract will be for two years until the 2007 World Cup," Ranbir Mahendra, president of Board of Control for Cricket in India, told reporters.

Chappell had unsuccessfully applied for the job in 2000, when Wright was picked as India's first foreign coach.

- REUTERS