Would Not Have Indian Coaches Have Been the Better Choice? Ask Gavaskar, Kapil Dev

Duncan Fletcher must already know he has a tough crowd to please ahead of him. However, some former Indian cricketers have already given him a taste for it as Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev are both adamant that an Indian coach would have served India's purposes better although both former captains differ in their choice of who should be heading the coaching duties.

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Both, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, were the leading voice of dissension a day after the BCCI announced that the former England coach had been appointed successor to Gary Kirsten. In the opinion of both former Indian captains, India could have benefitted from a coach who was Indian by nationality.

The concerns may seem somewhat out of the ordinary given that Kirsten himself is a South African who took over from Greg Chappell and that India seem to be tagging along with the trend of foreign coaches. And Kirsten's name was brought up by Gavaskar himself.

However, both cricketers have valid reasons for making the suggestions they do. While Gavaskar believes that Mohinder Amarnath would have done a better job as the Indian coach with a large north Indian contingent in the team, Kapil Dev feels India would be better served with the likes of former bowling and fielding coaches, Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh rather than someone like Fletcher who he felt did not make any impression on him on a personal level to suggest eligibility for the role.

The backlash, however, was expected given that while Fletcher was Kirsten's choice, India were expected to look at several options but narrowing down on the candidates and then, choosing a successor. However, the BCCI felt rushed to make the decision given the paucity of renowned coaches in the market and narrowing of options for several reasons.

With little time to debate upon the candidacy of the coaches, Fletcher, who left full time coaching in 2007, has become the centre of consternation plausibly because while Fletcher is highly sought after by foreign teams, that he has not served in any capacity for India previously or worked with any of the Indian cricketers seems to have taken this decision by surprise amongst many.

There will be more reasons from several more people within cricket circles who will certainly be skeptical of how Fletcher can work himself into the team dynamics and prove his credentials once again. Fletcher certainly has his work cut out for him in that department.