Planning: Coach got it all wrong
Chetan Chauhan
There has been widespread criticism of India’s failure to make an impression in the Test series in Australia, and to be honest, most of it has not been without reason.
When the team left Indian shores it was seen as their best opportunity to win a series in a land where they have never achieved that feat before.

But sadly it turned out to be India’s worst performance Down Under in a very long time. It is true that the seniors failed and the bowlers were not consistent but what about the coach — Duncan Fletcher? I assume the Zimbabwean has to take a fair share of blame as well.
For starters, the coach got it all wrong in terms of planning. To win in Australia it requires a different approach and I think Fletcher was found wanting in this regard. The bowlers failed to bowl in the right areas while the batsmen kept getting out in the same fashion time after time. It showed they did not learn from their mistakes and it is the duty of the coach to arrest a disturbing slide. Fletcher should have done something about this.
Even the best of players require proper preparation before an important game and I have my doubts about Fletcher’s physical ability to spend the kind of time in the nets that is required to iron out flaws. Remember, John Wright (when he took over) and Gary Kirsten were much younger and were in the nets giving throw-downs all the time, and I doubt the present coach was able to do this.
History suggests that coaches with better motivational skills succeed at their job.
Greg Chappell was not the best in this and it aptly showed in India’s downward spiral in spite of him being one of the best cricket brains and a batting legend.
We don’t know much of what is transpiring between the team and the coach currently but if the results are the sole yardstick, then the players have not been fired up enough.
There is no doubt that cricketers at the highest level need to be self-motivated but when the going gets tough, the coach needs to step in.
No one should forget that Fletcher took over the Indian side when they were freshly crowned world champions and the No. 1 Test side in the world. The same players who took the team to that exalted position cannot become bad overnight.
A coach cannot get away by saying that it is the players who have to perform on the field. In that case why have a coach at all?
At this level no one is going to teach the basics anyway. It is all about man-management, inculcating a good team spirit and developing the right strategies. Personally I feel India would do better if there is a change in support staff.

(As told to V. Balaji)

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Fletcher must be given time
Roger Binny
Of course, back-to-back whitewashes are extremely difficult to digest. The Indian team’s performance so far in Australia has certainly hurt the entire nation.
Now, my point is if you are to point fingers, it should be done at everyone. Why just single out the coach? Yes, expectation levels were high from someone of the stature of Duncan Fletcher who did play a significant part in taking the England team a few steps upwards during his stint from 2004 to 2006. But now that India has lost eight consecutive away Tests, it’s not fair to put the entire blame on him.
Critics might well say that he has failed to motivate the players and get the best out of them. But at the end of the day, it’s the players who need to perform. Coach can’t go in and bat or bowl for them.
We ought to remember that Fletcher has been part of two of the toughest series in his very first year with the Indian squad. Things might not have been so pathetic had he been able to spend some more time here during the domestic season. Watching more domestic matches would have helped him gain at least some knowledge about India’s bench strength.
The problem, I feel, lies elsewhere. Not being allowed to express his opinions strongly about the playing XI, the Zimbabwean has had to be silent despite India going in with a wrong combination, especially in Perth. If Fletcher had had a say over important matters, we could well have seen someone like Pragyan Ojha taking the field instead of four quicks. Playing only pacers in that game was a move I consider reckless.
No matter how conditions are, teams should always field a playing XI according to their strengths. Spinners have always been India’s strength, and I’m sure Fletcher’s aware of it.
Also, the likes of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane not playing in the Test series is not Fletcher’s fault. Rather, it seems he is not being allowed to have his way, which is typical of the cricketing culture in the sub-continent where the coach is preferred as a backstage person.
Having said that, it’s not proper for a coach to impose himself too forcefully over selection of the final XI or other matters.
Another factor responsible for the 0-4 drubbing Down Under is not taking the results in England earlier in the year seriously. That series should have been viewed as a lesson, but unfortunately, people who matter in Indian cricket were least concerned with what transpired there.
Rather, there was a tendency to go overboard with celebrations after having beaten the West Indies at home. All these aspects taken together have led to India’s poor showing of late. And as far as Fletcher is concerned, he certainly deserves at least a few more months’ time before any drastic action is taken or thought of.

(As told to Sayak Banerjee)