Duncan Fletcher may quit before West Indies series, says BCCI official

End of the Indian road for Duncan Fletcher?

Indian cricket team head coach Duncan Fletcher may be on his way out after the 1-3 loss to England. A senior BCCI official told PTI that the board wouldn’t have any problem if the Zimbabwean wants to quit before the India-West Indies series starting October this year.

Earlier today, Ravi Shastri was appointed the director of the Indian team in England for the ODI series and a BCCI official, on the condition of anonymity, has revealed that Fletcher has been given signals from within the board to leave after yet another disastrous away tour.

No power whatsoever

“Duncan has no powers left whatsoever. Ravi will be calling the shots and Duncan knows it only too well. At this point of time, with no choice of support staff, Duncan will have to take a back seat. If Duncan wants to leave before the next home series against West Indies, the Board will not stop him,” the official was quoted by PTI.

“The BCCI has send him enough feelers that he is not required!,” he said.

BCCI made some sweeping changes in their backroom staff, giving Shastri the reigns for the ODI leg. Bowling and fielding coaches Joe Dawes and Trevor Penney have been ‘given a break for the one-day series’, a press release stated.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar, who coached Kings XI Punjab in the latest IPL season and was praise for his contribution, along with Bharat Arun, a former India fast bowler have been named as assistant coaches. Also, Ramakrishnan Sridhar, who was the fielding coach of KXIP, will take up the same responsibility for the Indian team.

“Ravi (Shastri) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be involved in strategising. Sanjay (Bangar) has proven credentials and knows the younger members of the side. The current crop of fast bowlers have worked at NCA under Arun. So tell me what shall Duncan bring to the table? If he can read between the lines, then he can tender his resignation and it will be accepted.

“There are still doubts as to whether he (Fletcher) will be present in the Indian dressing room during that series. In any case, India will be favourites at home and that is the time when the new team director and the new support staff will be able to know the players better before the tour of Australia,” the official said.

A bumpy ride for Fletcher

Fletcher has a contract with BCCI till the end of 2015 World Cup in Australia, but according to reports, an exit clause in the contract can make the departure of the 65-year-old easier. He took over as Indian coach at the end of Gary Kirsten’s tenure after the victorious 2011 World Cup campaign.

In his first tour as Indian coach, India won the ODI (team led by Suresh Raina in absence of Dhoni) and Test series in West Indies by 3-2 and 1-0 margin respectively. The team was criticised for its defensive and safety first approach in the 3^rd Test in Dominica where India settled for a draw without even trying for a possible win.

That tour was followed by the start of a disastrous run away from home for India. The No.1 Test side in the world at that time, India were whitewashed 4-0 in England and Australia, losing the Test mace to England. They continued to be dominant at home but the Fletcher-Dhoni combination came under wide criticism for their increasingly negative tactics, especially in Tests.

At home, the lowest point came in 2012 when India lost the series against England, despite having taken lead in the 1^st Test at Ahmedabad. India had a much improved 2013, with a whitewash win against Australia at home and a Champions Trophy win in England. It was followed by a good run at home against Australia in ODIs and West Indies in Tests and ODIs.

This period of 2012-2013 saw the departure of India’s greats – VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. With Zaheer Khan too struggling with form and fitness and Yuvraj Singh failing to make a successful comeback after recovering from cancer, a young Indian side toured South Africa and New Zealand in 2013-14.

Though India lost both series with identical 1-0 margin, a young Indian squad’s performance gained positive reviews. However, despite taking a lead at Lord’s in a 5-match series in England, Indian batsmen failed to put up a fight in the last 3 matches, failing miserably as India lost the series 1-3.

After a relatively calm phase of rebuilding in Indian cricket, the manner of defeats in England has put the focus again on the captain coach duo of Dhoni and Fletcher. While the coach now seems to be on his way out, Dhoni looks untouchable at the helm of Indian cricket.

“There have been no discussions as such about Dhoni’s future as of now,” the BCCI official told PTI, further confirming the point.