Chennai: Even as the calls grow louder for the ouster of Team India coach Duncan Fletcher, the BCCI on Friday made it clear that they back the coach and there are no immediate plans to remove him. BCCI chief N. Srinivasan had summoned Fletcher for a meeting on Thursday to discuss the team’s below par performances. Briefing on that, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said that the Board would provide full support to Fletcher. “There has been no discussion on his removal. We told him that we have a lot of faith in his coaching abilities and he should not be worried about anything else,” he said.
“There is no truth in reports that Fletcher was given a warning by the president Srinivasan,” Patel said. With regards to the comments made by legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar to sack Fletcher and appoint Rahul Dravid as coach, Patel said, “Mr Gavaskar is entitled to have his opinion just like I have an opinion. It is not necessary that the BCCI is in agreement with what Mr Gavaskar thinks.”
Patel also highlighted the “age old norm” of the Board conducting a review with the coach and support staff at the end of each and every tour. “Many people are not aware that BCCI routinely holds meeting with the coach and the support staff after each and every tour. This meeting would have also been held at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai but our president had a cataract operation and was unable to travel. That’s why, I flew down to Chennai for this meeting,” added Patel. Patel also dismissed suggestions of an Indian support staff being tagged along with the current trio of Fletcher, Joe Dawes and fielding coach Trevor Penny. With Fletcher’s one year contract extension ending on March 31 this year, Patel wasn’t forthcoming on whether Fletcher will get an extension till the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
