"If we intend to play at the level or higher than Australia, we have to make the same commitment to excellence as that team has shown over the last 10-15 years," he told a press conference.

"The good thing is they continue to get better. That is what we have to aim for," he said. "If we don't get that committment from the players that are chosen, then we have to find others."

Chappell, who succeeds ex-New Zealand captain John Wright, has been contracted until the end of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

The 56-year-old, 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.

"Over the last few years, Indian cricket has probably been the driving force in the game off the field," he said. "It has the potential to be the driving force on it."

Chappell said his priority would be to motivate a side which he said had the potential to win the 2007 World Cup but which which had to perform as a unit.

"Cricket is an intriguing game," he said. "Individual performances go towards team effort, but they come secondary to the team requirements and that is part of the discipline. That is an area we'll be working on."

Chappell was picked by a six-man selection committee which interviewed the candidates on Thursday. The decision is to be ratified at the board's decision-making working committee in June.

"The decision was unanimous," Ranbir Mahendra, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told reporters.

Chappell had unsuccessfully applied for the job in 2000, when Wright was picked as India's first foreign coach. "It is better to be second time lucky than third time lucky," Chappell said.

"It's a great honour to be asked to coach any national side, particularly as a foreigner.

"I've my own coaching philosophy. We're not talking about rocket science. It's a simple game and I want to keep things simple."

His most immediate challenge will be to revive India's one-day performances. They are currently ranked eighth, just ahead of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Chappell played 87 Tests for Australia, 48 as captain and many of them with his brother Ian, between 1970 and 1984.

He scored 7,110 runs, surpassing Don Bradman's career total, at an average of 53.86. That included 24 hundreds, including one in his first test innings and one in his last.

He has coached South Australia and been linked to several top jobs with international sides in recent seasons.

Chappell backed captain Saurav Ganguly, who is under pressure, out of form and who was recently banned for six one-dayers because of his team's slow over-rate.

"We don't necessarily need a new captain," Chappell said. "I'm sure Saurav has a strong will to continue. If he is playing well and leading well, that won't be an issue."

Reuters, New Delhi
Factbox on Greg Chappell who was named the Indian cricket coach on Friday:
Born: August 7, 1948, Unley, Adelaide. Right-handed top order batsman, occasional right-arm medium.
Tests: 87 matches, 7110 runs, 53.86 average, 24 hundreds, 31 half-centuries, 122 catches. 47 wickets.
ODIs: 74 matches, 2331 runs, 40.18 average, 3 hundreds, 14 fifties, 23 catches. 72 wickets.
Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1973.
A tall and elegant batsman, he was rated among the finest of his generation during his 14-year international career from 1970.

Chappell holds the distinction of scoring a century both on his Test debut and in his final Test, and also made centuries in both innings on his captaincy debut.

A respected Australia captain like his elder brother Ian, he led his country in 48 Tests, winning 21. Younger brother Trevor also played for Australia.

Highly respected for his views on the game, he coached South Australia for five seasons until 2003. He had earlier been linked to coaching jobs with West Indies and Pakistan, where he was consultant with the national cricket academy in 2004.

A former Australia selector, he has been an advocate of less regimented coaching. He runs a website to interact with upcoming players around the world.

He was named in Australia's Test team of the century in 2000.

However, Chappell is remembered for a dark chapter in the sport's history when in a one-day international against New Zealand in 1981 he asked his brother Trevor to bowl the now infamous under-arm delivery to Brian McKechnie with the Kiwis needing a last-ball six to tie the match.