In his first discussion with the BCCI since returning from England, Ravi Shastri criticised Duncan Fletcher’s approach and said there’s a communication gap between him and many players in the India team. If the sources are to be believed, Shastri met Sanjay Patel and a few other BCCI officials on Monday, and discussed this in an unofficial meeting. Ravi Shastri, who was all praise for Duncan Fletcher and called a him a “father-figure”, criticized Fletcher’s easy going approach and called for a sterner hand to be at the helm of affairs. Shastri mainly focused on the issue of ‘communication gap’ and told the BCCI Officials that Duncan Fletcher needs to be more expressive. Shastri was right in pointing out that many players in the Indian team come from remote backgrounds and they don’t understand English so well. In a report published on The Indian Express, a close BCCI source gave some insights into the meeting on condition of anonymity. “Nobody can question Fletcher’s cricket knowledge but the former England coach needs to be more expressive. Most of these players come from remote backgrounds and they don’t understand English so well. These players generally say ‘ok’ to whatever the support staff tell them regardless of whether they’ve understood it or not,” the source said. “Ravi also made it clear that these players needed someone to keep a check on them,” a board official added on condition of anonymity. [table]
// [/table] Although, Ravi Shastri is right in pointing out these issues to the board, this is not the first time that India are being coached by a foreign coach. Before Duncan Fletcher, former South African batsman Gary Kirsten was the coach of India, and Team India did very well during his time as Team India’s coach. It’s true that players who come from remote background find it hard to commentate in English, but this is where the team management and senior players have to step-up, and act as the link between the coach and young players. The BCCI source was quotes as saying that, “The BCCI is going to ask Fletcher whether he wants to continue as coach of the Indian team, and if yes then he has to work with an Indian support staff. Let Fletcher decide what he wants. He can continue but only on the BCCI’s terms.” Ravi Shastri’s strong criticism of Duncan Fletcher can be taken as a sign of things to come, as it’s also learnt that the BCCI secretary will meet Duncan Fletcher before the series against the West Indies, and discuss the board’s proposal regarding the coaching staff till the 2015 World Cup.
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by The Cricket Lounge
