Gary Kirsten versus Duncan Fletcher

[Basil]

Gary Kirsten versus Duncan Fletcher​

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India was playing the much talked about Monkeygate series in 2007-8 and had lost the first two Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney. The atmosphere was one of hostility and there was no sense of sportsmans spirit left in either team. So much so that Anil Kumble, who led the team with great panache and resilience in this series, said in the Sydney post match press conference that there was only one team that was playing in the spirit of the game.

The third Test match at Perth, understandably, had become a do or die affair. Just then did Gary Kirsten come to the Indian dressing room for the first time as would be coach of India. He had not yet taken over as coach yet but had come to Australia to get a sense of the team. Most players who played the Perth test will testify how much Gary's arrival helped and what it did to the team. India, we all know, won a famous victory at the WACA. It was the start of the resurgence, which ultimately propelled India to the number one position in world Test rankings.

With Gary as coach India beat England at home in 2008-9, beat New Zealand in New Zealand in both ODIs and Tests in 2009 and drew the away Test series in South Africa in 2010-2011 before winning the world cup. For a long 15 months we had not lost a single Test series and were consistently competitive overseas. In fact, in the 2009 New Zealand Test series India could have easily won 2-0 had it not been for rain and inclement weather.

Since Gary's departure in 2011, soon after India won the World Cup, it has all gone downhill. First a look at the results- 0-4 in England in the Test series followed by a 0-3 (India tied one and another was abandoned) loss in the one day series. If the Indian fans thought this tour was an aberration we yet again lost 0-4 in Australia in Tests and failed to qualify for the final of the tri series involving Australia and Sri Lanka. Thereafter we lost in the pool stages of the Asia Cup and also lost the home Test series versus England.

The only two victories of significance were the 4-0 win against Michael Clarke's Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy in England. Since then we have lost the Test and ODI series to South Africa away from home and have now been routed in New Zealand. Yes India did beat the West Indies at home in both Tests and ODIs but it is all about being competitive away from home especially with the World Cup just a year away.

If Gary had bred a winning habit away from home and made us believe anything is possible, under Duncan all the good work has been undone. The confidence is at a low and the very perception that we are underdogs in alien conditions has returned to haunt Indian cricket. The captain is surely feeling the heat and in circumstances like these it is the coach who has to take over. He needs to offer more options, suggest changes in combination and advise MSD on the way forward. Simply put he needs to be proactive for the fans want to see results and see them soon enough.

Duncan Fletcher, by every yardstick, has been given too long a rope. Underperformance has never been questioned and every time there has been criticism in the media it has been dismissed as unfair. England has shown the way with Andy Flower in the post Ashes context exactly as Australia had done with Micky Arthur. If you dont deliver you have to make way is the mantra. Unfortunately for Indian fans it is not the case with Duncan. A non-controversial figure who is easy to deal with, Duncan has managed to save his job amidst all the criticism.

The question is for how long? How long can we continue to accept abysmal performances overseas? How long will the coach be there when the team is going from bad to worse in overseas conditions? The world title appears to be fast slipping away and unless correctives are undertaken with immediacy we will soon be former world champions. Duncan alone isn't the remedy. That is never the case. But making him accountable is definitely the start. Going back to Gary's tenure shows why. Can we get the South African back? The BCCI with all its might should give it a shot.


Gary Kirsten versus Duncan Fletcher - Cricbuzz