New Delhi: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar demads immediate ouster of coach Duncon flather and suggests name of Rahul Dravid as the next coach of the Indian cricket team.
“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 said.
“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 achievement as a cricketer wasn’t anything incredible. He was an ECB reject. The ECB dispensed with his services,” a livid Gavaskar said.
Team India need a younger coach: Gavaskar
“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,” he said.
“Fletcher never had credentials of Gary Kirsten or John Wright, who were achievers in international cricket.”
Gavaskar also said that flip side of appointing someone who had retired in last three to four years is that he might carry some “residue from his playing days” having shared the dressing room with some of the current players.
“You don’t want that situation where some residue of the past can come in the way. But India does need a younger man in touch with modern game,” the batting great said.
“The way things work in India is completely different. Kirsten was never the most talented cricketer but he was very successful in both Tests and ODIs. He did it the hard way and when he spoke to the players about value of hard work and training, they listened to him. You need someone with a positive outlook, with fair bit of receptivity and flexible thinking,” the legendary opener said.
