Jaipur, Sept 27 : Former Aussie cricket great and Indian coach, Greg Chappell has reportedly lectured the Australian side, currently touring India, about the importance of playing the game in India because it was a strong cricketing nation in terms of the huge wealth generated from the game.

“The fact of the matter is this is the centre of the universe as far as cricket is concerned,” The Age quoted Chappell as telling the Aussies.

He believes that a healthy respect exists between the teams despite the disillusionment that followed the Harbhajan Singh race scandal.

“If you want to be involved in cricket, India is going to be a part of it. This is another message for the boys on this tour, that if it wasn''t for India, cricket would be a very minor game, so let''s embrace that and understand that and it will put everything into perspective,” Chappell added.

He further said: “Having said that, there will be a lot of scrutiny, off the field, of what is happening on the field, and the worst thing you can do is get distracted. What you need to do is play good, solid cricket for five days of the Test match, and if you can do that, it will be a really good series and Australia has a chance to succeed.” (ANI)