The move to appoint Ravi Shastri as the India team’s director of cricket for the limited-overs series against England was a deliberate snub to the under-fire head coach, Duncan Fletcher, according to a very highly-placed cricket official.
“If he has any sense of shame, he will go himself,” he told The Hindu on Wednesday on condition of anonymity. “This is the last chance for him.
“Actions speak louder than words. Shastri has been put in charge to supersede Fletcher. What more needs to be said?” asked the official, who is privy to the decision-making.
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Asked why Joe Dawes and Trevor Penney, bowling and fielding coaches respectively, were asked to go on ‘leave’ when it was evident that the intention was to remove them, the official said there was a “fine-print” in their contracts that had to be taken into consideration.
Shastri’s role, he said, was likely to be short-term in nature.
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“He is in charge of the team only during the limited-overs series in England.
“I am not sure if it’s going to be a long-term role as he has media obligations, too. Thankfully, he accepted to come on board at this juncture.”
He also added that Shastri’s designation as director was only a nomenclatural convenience.
“We could even call him a super head coach or head coach-1. But, that would sound silly and we had to find some other name. That’s all.”
He wasn’t forthcoming, though, about India going the Australian and the English way and creating positions such as a long-term director of cricket or a high-performance manager.
On whether the appointments of Bharat Arun and Sanjay Bangar as assistant coaches, and R. Sridhar as fielding coach indicated that India would henceforth embrace home-grown coaches, the official said it was premature to discuss that.
He also remained non-committal on who the contenders were for India’s coaching job.
Backing DhoniWhile there have been calls in some quarters to axe M.S. Dhoni as captain, the official firmly backed him. He also confirmed that Dhoni hadn’t offered to resign.
“Why should he? If not for his gritty performances, India would have been bowled out for 40.
“What of people like [Gautam] Gambhir, [Cheteshwar] Pujara, and [Shikhar] Dhawan? Virat Kohli, who has been hyped up so much, was in horrific form.
“The players have earned a lot of money and have got into a comfort zone.
“No matter what happens, they have an alternate source of income in the IPL. I don’t know who do you blame — the coach or the players.”
The official, however, was critical of Dhoni’s approach in the Ravindra Jadeja-James Anderson controversy.
“It completely distracted the team and united England. It was a risky move right from the start. There is a difference between being courageous and being foolhardy.”
Right directionMeanwhile, BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur told The Hindu that Shastri’s appointment was a “step in the right direction.”
“India’s performance was below par and there were questions being asked about the coaching staff and the captain. As for a decision on the captain, it’s a call for the selection committee to make.”
On the appointment of a new coach, Thakur said the BCCI hadn’t decided on the matter yet. “Mr. Fletcher has a contract with a defined period.”