England vs India 2014: "The Big Test" for Duncan Fletcher

Duncan Fletcher will be under immense pressure if India don’t get positive results in England

Duncan Fletcher and MS Dhoni, coach and captain, know that it is time to deliver Test match success away from home

Star Sports, the official broadcasters of the England v India series, are promoting India’s upcoming Test tour of England as “The Big Test”, and that rings no truer for anyone more than Duncan Fletcher. Fletcher took over from the much heralded Gary Kirsten after India’s World Cup triumph in 2011. Following Kirsten was a tough act to follow, but I don’t think the Zimbabwean anticipated it was going to be this tough.

Rough travels since 2011

Fletcher’s appointment, by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), came on the back of a glowing endorsement by Kirsten, whose opinions were highly valued by the BCCI, but his tenure hasn’t panned out the way either party, he or the BCCI, would’ve hoped. The results have been poor, to say the least, with 4-0 whitewashes in both England and Australia made worse by India’s 1st Test series loss to England, in more than 2 decades, on home soil. To be fair, it’s not all been downhill with there being some good moments too, like the Champions Trophy success last year and the 4-0 reversal against Australia on home soil, but these have been few and far between.

India, prior to the 2000s, had an unwanted reputation of being poor travelers, but the beginning of the 21st century had largely seen them do away with that tag, with ever improving performances overseas. But the last 3 years have seen the team return to those dark old days, with the team being unable to even compete on most occasions, let alone think of winning. Taking these things into account, he is extremely fortunate not to have received the boot by now. Which coach, after all, would survive after 8 consecutive Test losses overseas? I can’t think of many.

No time for excuses from Duncan Fletcher

Fletcher could argue that senior players, like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who had served Indian cricket so well for over a decade, were starting to decline by the time he was made in charge. It is probably a valid argument, which is the reason the BCCI has persevered with him until now. But he can no longer hide under excuses. He has been in charge of the team for 3 years, and has had the opportunity to mould the team in his own eyes.

There is no shortage of talent at his disposal either, with a lot of young Indian players starting to make a mark at the international stage. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have established themselves as accomplished international batsmen and will form the core of the batting line-up in England. In the seam bowling department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami have shown some promise and can deliver if shown a bit of faith.

The improved performances against both South Africa and New Zealand recently, in their backyard, where a relatively young, inexperienced team managed to at least avoid defeat in two of the four Tests in alien conditions, showed that the team is progressing, albeit slowly. But a country of India’s cricketing landscape shouldn’t be content with just drawing Test matches overseas, and Fletcher should know that.

Great opportunity with England in tatters

The task of winning in England should be relatively easier too with India’s opponents, England, not being the force they were back in 2011. They are in a rebuilding phase themselves, post the departures of Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Jonathan Trott, and are there for the taking, provided India can consistently put England under pressure, as Sri Lanka have displayed.

Fletcher can be certain that, if India do not come away from the upcoming Test series with at least a couple of Test wins under their belt against the present England side, being in the disarray that they are, the knives will be out for him and he might find it impossible to defend himself.

There has already been some pressure mounting on Fletcher, with calls for his sacking by some eminent and powerful former Indian cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar. The only way he can overcome such pressure and see out his contract which runs till the 2015 World Cup is, to start off with, by having some success in England. Anywhere near a repeat of the drubbing India received in England last time around, and his chances of still being India’s coach come the ODI World Cup next year, where India are defending champions, become as good as gone. This is “The Big Test”.