Basing his game on a sound defence learned during many hours of childhood lessons, Chappell employed the drive and square cut to full effect.

[5] He had an idiosyncratic method of playing back and across to a ball of full length and driving wide of mid-on,[7] but his trademark shot was the hook, saying "three bouncers an over should be worth 12 runs to me".

[11] The first of four sons (Ian, Greg, Trevor, Michel) born in Unley, near Adelaide, to Martin and Jeanne (née Richardson), Chappell was steeped in the game from an early age.

His father was a noted Adelaide grade cricketer who put a bat in his hands as soon as he could walk,[4] and his maternal grandfather was famous all-round sportsman Vic Richardson, who captained Australia at the end of a nineteen-Test career.

[13] Chappell grew up in the beachside suburb of Glenelg and attended the local St Leonard's Primary School where he played his first competitive match at the age of seven.

[14] He then enrolled at Prince Alfred College, a private secondary school noted for producing many Test cricketers, including the Australian captains Joe Darling and Clem Hill.

His other sporting pursuits included Australian football and baseball: Chappell's performances for South Australia in the Claxton Shield won him All-Australian selection in 1964 and 1966 as a catcher.

The aggressive style of Sobers and of South Australia captain Les Favell heavily influenced Chappell during his formative years in senior cricket.

[4] At this point, the selectors and captain Bob Simpson considered him an all-rounder: he batted at number seven and bowled 26 (eight-ball) overs for the match.

Heading into the second Test at Melbourne, Chappell's place was in jeopardy, but he rode his luck to score 151 – his innings contained five chances that the Indians failed to take.

[26] A string of big scores and a record number of catches during the 1968–69 season earned Chappell the Australian Cricketer of the Year award.

[5] Following up with a successful tour of India in late 1969, Chappell demonstrated his fluency against spin bowling by compiling Test innings of 138 at Delhi and 99 at Kolkata.

When the Australians arrived in South Africa in early 1970, following their victory over India, Lawry told the local media that Chappell was the best all-round batsman in the world.

In a radical attempt to breathe some aggression into the team, the selectors sacked captain Bill Lawry and appointed Chappell in his stead.

Following a conversation with Sir Donald Bradman, he decided to reinstate the hook shot and spent the winter months practising the stroke by hitting baseballs thrown by his brother Greg.

The Australians lost to the Kiwis for the first time ever in the second Test at Christchurch, when Chappell was involved in a verbal confrontation with the leading New Zealand batsman, Glenn Turner.

[48] The Australians then played an ill-tempered tour match at Dunedin that didn't enhance the reputation of Chappell or his team, before winning the final Test at Auckland.

[22] The Test matches attracted big crowds and record gate takings, enabling Chappell to negotiate a bonus for the players from the Australian Cricket Board (ACB).

[57] His dislike of the defensive nature of limited-over cricket led to the Australians placing a full slips cordon for the new ball and employing Test-match style tactics in the tournament.

However, England managed to bat for almost 15 hours to grind out a draw and Chappell announced his resignation from the captaincy on the final day of the match.

[64] During the season, Chappell incurred censure for his behaviour in a Sheffield Shield match and was warned not to continue wearing a pair of adidas boots with the three stripes clearly visible.

[68] In 1976, Chappell toured South Africa with Richie Benaud's International Wanderers team, released his autobiography Chappelli and was named as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

[73] Approached to lead an Australian team in World Series Cricket (WSC), a breakaway professional competition organised by Kerry Packer for Channel Nine, Chappell signed a three-year contract worth A$75,000 in 1976.

[75] The prevalence of short-pitched fast bowling and a serious injury to Australian David Hookes led to the innovation of batting helmets; Chappell was one of the many batsmen to use one.

[90] Following the path of his grandfather Vic Richardson, who was a radio commentator for many years,[12] Chappell entered the media in 1973 by writing magazine articles and a column for The Age.

[95] The greatest controversy of his first season was the Underarm Incident, which involved his two younger brothers in an ODI played between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

[97] On the morning of the second test against the West Indies in 1984–85, Chappell asked Hughes "Three months ago, you claimed Australia possessed no Test-worthy legspinner.

Early in his captaincy tenure, Border was struggling with the burdens of the position so the ACB appointed Bob Simpson as team coach to assist.

[112] After leaving school, Chappell spent two years as a clerk in a sharebroker's office, which he left to play league cricket in England.

After eight years with Wills, Chappell capitalised on his fame as Australian captain by forming his own company specialising in advertising, promotion and journalism, which has remained his profession.