Sunil Gavaskar rates Duncan Fletcher 1.5 out of 10; wants Rahul Dravid as new Indian coach

Duncan Fletcher

Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar has asked for the immediate sacking of Indian national cricket team coach Duncan Fletcher. Giving the Zimbabwean a rating of 1.5 out of a possible 10, the former Indian captain also suggested a replacement in Rahul Dravid.

“For me, Duncan Fletcher would get 1.5 in a scale of 10 as far as his success is concerned. I believe a younger guy should be appointed as the coach of the Indian team,” Gavaskar said.

“Rahul Dravid is one man who is enormously respected and is a successful captain having won series in West Indies and England. When he speaks, the Indian players, some of whom are superstars listen to him as they know how much preparation went into his game,” he told.

Gavaskar has been critical about the steep decline in the performance of the Indian cricket team ever since Fletcher took over in 2011 after the World Cup triumph.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added: “I know it’s only 11 months for the World Cup and people don’t want to tinker with support staff. But had it been the staff of 2011 (Gary Kirsten, Paddy Upton and Eric Simons), I would have agreed. But what has Fletcher done. He has done nothing. His achievements as a cricketer wasn’t anything incredible. He was an ECB reject. The ECB dispensed with his services.”

“A coach has to be somebody who is in touch with the modern game and take the team forward. If Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh all stalwarts of Indian cricket can be dropped on poor form then why not drop support staff for poor performance.”

A livid Gavaskar concluded by saying, “Fletcher never had credentials of Gary Kirsten or John Wright, who were achievers in international cricket.”