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BCCI to review away performances | Can Duncan Fletcher be sacked?


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Except none of his bold things have ever worked. Not here' date=' not in Australia.[/quote'] No they did work. India team had record chases under him, dhoni, raina, rp singh all got chances under him and blossomed. It is not his fault that tendulkar and co could not face great shaun udal. He was there for very short time, indian won for first time in SA .
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Role of bowling coach should be reviewed: Former players http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Role-of-bowling-coach-should-be-reviewed-Former-players/articleshow/30831871.cms "We need to improve our bowling." Mahendra Singh Dhoni must be tired of saying this time and again, especially when it comes to one-dayers. The thin bowling resources also prompt him to field first even on perfect batting pitches. The bowlers have often appeared clueless about how to bowl in a particular situation. Two years ago, when Joe Dawes replaced Eric Simmons as bowling coach of Team India, there were plenty of expectations from him. But he has not lived up to them. India are still searching for a world class fast bowler; youngsters like Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda and Parvinder Awana are still to cement their places in the side; Ishant Sharma, despite an impressive show in New Zealand, appears to struggle when conditions favour batsmen, while Zaheer Khan has lost that zip which is so essential to defeat quality batsmen. Besides, the spinners have struggled outside India. While questions have been raised about Duncan Fletcher's role as head coach, Dawes' role and utility also needs to be reviewed. Former India pacer Prashant Vaidya feels that the time has come for the BCCI to make Dawes accountable. "Everyone knows Ishant's problem. I have often read about the problem he has with his wrist position. Even Ishant must be aware of this. But what is the bowling coach doing about it? It's not about Ishant alone. We are losing good bowlers every year. We must appoint someone who has gone through all this at the international level, not anyone who has just played first class cricket," Vaidya told TOI. Vaidya has a valid point as India have fielded as many as 20 fast bowlers in the last four years, more than any other country in the world. Unlike other countries, the same set of bowlers play across all formats and there is little or no rotation. A promising fast bowler emerges and leads the attack for a season or two and then vanishes. India almost lost the Johannesburg Test even after posting a target in excess of 450 to South Africa. Even after having a 246-run lead in the Wellington Test, they allowed New Zealand to come back. "When conditions are good to bowl, we have done well, but our bowlers generally run out of ideas when the conditions improve for batting. As a bowler, you can't just take wickets on green tops or turners. We need somebody who understands the Indian psyche, somebody like Venkatesh Prasad, TA Sekar or Subroto Bannerjee, who are specialists when it comes to coaching fast bowlers," he said. Of course, it's not just seamers that need guidance. There is an urgent need for a spin bowling coach too. "Teams like England have Mushtaq Ahmed for a while now. Shane Warne is now guiding young Australian spinners, while West Indies recently hired the services of Saqlain Mushtaq. We have so many great spinners, why are we not availing of their services? Our spinners need guidance on how to bowl overseas," he quipped. Vaidya's thoughts are echoed by another former Indian pacer, Atul Wassan. He feels somebody like Narendra Hirwani should mentor young Indian spinners. "Hirwani is most suited for the job. He has done all the hard work with the current lot. He has played so much in these conditions and knows the hardships one has to go through," he said. Indeed, players like Amit Mishra and Yuvraj Singh have publicly acknowledged the role of the former leggie whenever they have done well. Wasan also prefers an Indian fast bowling coach. "There's a lot of talent available at home, but our fascination with foreign coaches continues. I don't know what he (Dawes) is doing, but results are not encouraging. I think even (Duncan) Fletcher has passed his prime and become obsolete. It's just that our captain finds him amiable when it comes to selecting the playing eleven. (Venkatesh) Prasad did well with the team, but suddenly they removed him. First of all, an Indian should be fast bowling coach or we can have specific person for particular tour. Suppose if we are touring Australia, we can take consultancy from an Australian during that that tour. BCCI has enough money. We don't need to carry the whole baggage," he said. In fact, India hired the services of former Aussie pacer Bruce Reid on their tour Down Under in 2003-04 and the results were excellent. Ex-India pacer Chetan Sharma too endorsed the view of having an Indian bowling coach. "It should be some Indian who has experience of playing in different conditions, but he should be interested in coaching. Coaching is a different ball game altogether. Great players needn't necessarily be great coaches. The likes of Prasad and Sekar are into coaching fast bowlers for quite some time and they should guide the youngsters as they can understand the Indian boys better. They won't have issues with language and culture," he said. Sharma also stressed the need to engage Zaheer Khan, who is in the twilight of his career, in the role of a mentor. "Zaheer has played so much of cricket around the world. We can offer him the mentor's role. He should be part of the team and needn't play all the games. But we must utilise his expertise if he is interested," he said.

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"Everyone knows Ishant's problem. I have often read about the problem he has with his wrist position. Even Ishant must be aware of this. But what is the bowling coach doing about it? It's not about Ishant alone. We are losing good bowlers every year."
Have been saying this. How could a blunder like that go unseen? Either Ishant is stubborn about not to amend his action or Dawes doesn't really give a hoot about it. Both are a possibility. The commies, fans, the pundits etc. are all talking about it but he still persists with that crappy wobbly seam. Now that he's got a 6fer, he might think, that's the key to this brief success of his.
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Seams like a nightmare http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Seams-like-a-nightmare/articleshow/30837879.cms Sometime last year, young seamers from across the country were delighted when they landed up in a five-star hotel in Bangalore. They were excited about what awaited them the next day - a great opportunity to bowl at Indian batsmen, talk with them, consult with the coaches, learn something and hopefully leave with a path-way to the future. Instead, according to Venkatesh Prasad, the Uttar Pradesh coach and former India bowling coach, they left feeling a touch foolish and tremendously underwhelmed by the whole experience. "They were treated like some ordinary net bowlers and I know quite a few who left the place entirely demoralised by the whole experience. There was no learning, no encouragement, no future plan ... nothing. Is this the kind of professional vision we need to develop and encourage young talent from across the country? Put them up in a five-star hotel and then treat them like some net bowlers hired for the day?" Hope the room service was at least good. Even as the national team continues to grapple with an inefficient bowling attack, the big question, as ever, is where are the Indian pacers? It's been an age-old theme that continues to be relevant even now. Alarmingly, nothing much has changed on the ground. The same old issues keep coming up: No vision, no fitness, no plan, no temperament ... and so no fast bowlers. Before we bring in views of former selectors and current domestic coaches, here is a story first. It's IPL time and at the breakfast table sat an Indian seamer, who is currently not in the squad but is a pretty popular name (love this, don't you, guessing who he is?!). Kevin Pietersen strolls in for a chat and urges the seamer to work on his fitness a little bit more so that he can increase his pace by 5-7 kmph. "That would make you really dangerous and it's not too much; it won't change your style," KP shrieks passionately. Our seamer smiles as he shakes his head. "No more pace. Not needed. I am good." It's not an aversion to hard work necessarily but a fear that a little bit more pace would mess up what he has already. VB Chandrasekhar, a former selector, reckons fitness was a major issue then, and is still is now. He also raises the point that too much ODI focus killed many a seamer. "Munaf Patel for one. And there were others as well. I think they were managed badly then. The feeling was that they should be made to play ODI cricket. And that's where we lost them, I think. Ultimately players also realize that there are only few Tests in a year but around 25 ODIs in a year. So more money if you play ODIs. They think let me make money, let me cut the pace... 10 overs and all over." The issue loops into fitness. If you don't have it, then it's easier to cut down pace, focus on ODIs, and Tests become almost irrelevant in the big picture in their minds. "RP, VRV Singh, Nehra, Munaf, Shib Shankar Paul .. so many more were there but their fielding was pretty bad. The energy levels used to go down in the later spells. Once pushed into ODI cricket, they lost pace and found it difficult to recover it again. Quite unfortunate," says Chandrasekhar. Poor temperament "It also has to do with players' mind-set," says a recent selector and a current domestic coach Surendra Bhave. "There was this guy. I won't name him. Everyone was saying to me, "Kya yaar Suri, Kisko liya tune Test cricket mey?!" (Who did you pick for Tests?). And we too were shocked by what he was doing. In first-class his speed was 135-plus but nervousness set in I guess at the highest level. He was unrecognisable. You can't bowl short deliveries at 130 at that level. At Ranji, no one hits those deliveries. His game came apart. It's where counselling from the team management comes in but ..." Bhave nails down fitness as a major issue as well. "Fast bowling is a bloody hard job. You got to be prepared to put in that tremendous hard work; more than double of the batters. Look at the bodies of the other bowlers. Even take the young Mohammad Amir, not a buffed-up body but the tensile strength, is vastly superior. Take the Sri Lankans too. Very strong. We called a young colts team from that Island recently and none of the boys bowled under 130 kmph. No one. Impressive. Some of our boys have temperamental issues. I have seen a few who are faster and better in Ranji but freeze up at international stage." Here is where Prasad thinks the planning, vision from the team-management and the board comes in. "I had presented a 15-point agenda to the board in 2007 about nurturing talent across the country. Nothing has happened. And what are the foreign coaches and the team management doing? If I say, then people say 'oh Venky is eying for the job or he is bitter that he lost it but I don't care. Just imagine if the results in the last two years had come under Indian coaches. Wouldn't you the media and the people have taken us apart? Questioned us what we were doing to improve and guide? "That's why I really respect Mohinder Amaranth (Amarnath, who was removed as a selector, had come out strongly against MS Dhoni's captaincy and the coaching staff) coming out and blasting the system? The system is inefficient," says Prasad. Another former Indian seamer bemoans the lack of county experience. "You need to bowl some 1000 overs a year to get bowling fit. Which Indian bowler does it these days? We were lucky in those days. County cricket really helped. Today, they play IPL. They still have to find time and a way to play in some leagues in England or South Africa or wherever to really develop their skill. The more you bowl the more you learn. How on flat tracks, how to conserve energy by bowling 4 length balls in an over and then go for a wicket in one or two deliveries. You become smarter the more you bowl. I don't see that kind of development happening now. And that's why you see a bowler good in first two seasons before he fades away." "Watching Zaheer bowl 40-odd overs without being effective can't inspire anyone, surely?" asks Prasad. "At least with some younger bowlers, even if they would not have won the Test they would have got some experience under the belt. It's not as if you are winning with Zaheer? A great bowler once but his time is up now." Ditto Chandrasekhar. "If Zaheer Khan is picking only three wickets in 45 overs then it's time for him to say goodbye and give somebody else a go. If there is reverse swing I shall take wickets, else I won't. Then why are you a front-line fast bowler? Change the selection pattern. He didn't do anything in South Africa, not much in NZ. India played with 2.5 bowlers. Ishant Sharma and Shami were two; then .25 Zak and .25 Jadeja. How are you going to win a Test like that?" "There is no one at this point of time I can say oh he is really good," says Chandrasekhar who has travelled across the country in his role as commentator. They all need to helpful conditions to do well. I would say only Vinay Kumar is someone who bowls well irrespective of the tracks. In helpful conditions he is really good of course but also he is good and consistent on any track. He has really developed further in this season. India actually needs someone like Vinay Kumar rather than someone who bowls 40-45 overs without taking more than two wickets. Vinay can do that workhorse and also pick wickets because he is intelligent clever bowler And what have we done with him? Play him in ODIs more where the totals are high and he goes for some runs and then we forget him. It's a wrong conclusion." There is also this fear that domestic cricket can actually ruin a bowler. Pitches aren't great, batting talent isn't great and so why bother. Instead, the Indian management seems to prefer carrying some players along even if they are not match fit. "That's ridiculous," says Chandrasekar. "Umesh Yadav what we saw this year was not the same one we saw last year. There is something dramatically wrong. It can be only put down to lack of matches. How can someone go unfit not playing? Got to push him. Go bowl 30 overs in domestic cricket, club cricket wherever and get back in form. Unless he does well in domestic cricket where is he going to perform in international cricket? Put that fear in him. Instead they have carried him along. They want them around the Indian team because they want them to bowl from 18 yards so that the batsmen get ready to face Dale Steyn or Mitchell Johnson or whatever. And what happens to the poor bowler? His skills, rhythm, pace is gone. The system has to change. Who is going to change it?

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"There is no one at this point of time I can say oh he is really good," says Chandrasekhar who has travelled across the country in his role as commentator. They all need to helpful conditions to do well. I would say only Vinay Kumar is someone who bowls well irrespective of the tracks. In helpful conditions he is really good of course but also he is good and consistent on any track. He has really developed further in this season. India actually needs someone like Vinay Kumar rather than someone who bowls 40-45 overs without taking more than two wickets. Vinay can do that workhorse and also pick wickets because he is intelligent clever bowler
Really?? Come on, why do all domestic experts rate him high. He looks so mediocre whenever he has represented India..
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Duncan Fletcher to continue as Indian bouncer, Joe Dawes may lose job Duncan Fletcher to continue as Indian coach, Joe Dawes may lose job A leading BCCI official has confirmed to Headlines Today that Indian head coach Duncan Fletcher may survive the axe till the 2015 World Cup. This despite the fact that India has only won one overseas test abroad since he has taken over and have lost more ODI's overseas. Bowling coach Joe Dawes could however soon lose his job. BCCI is concerned about the constant failure of the bowling attack even in overseas conditions. The contracts of Fletcher, Dawes and Trevor Penny India's coaching staff come up for renewal in April this year. Also appointment of an Indian assistant coach and a larger line of physical assistants, physio and trainers are being considered with the cramped international schedule. This is a long term initiative and may or may not pave the way for a head Indian coach in the future. But it's an option. The assistant coach is however more likely to join the team in England tour and not T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. There could be some deliberations on this front in BCCI's working committee meet in Bhuveneshwar on Friday. However, history suggests such decisions are taken by the very top brass of the BCCI and not working committee. Dawes is with the Indian team in Bangladesh for the Asia Cup and the news may not be broken to him too soon. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/duncan-fletcher-joe-dawes-indian-coach-bowling-coach-bcci-world-cup-2015/1/345647.html Looks like the Fletchoni era will continue :yay: #trundlefactory #longropeclub #retirementhome

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Well the 'legendary' ian pont has just tweeted his candidacy for india's bowling coach position :giggle: The tweet is on cricinfo's site.... Finally we might see atul sharma in the side... this 'too close to world cup' excuse is getting a bit lame now.... it's not like the team has been lighting the world on fire over the past year.... so the bcci needs to do whatever it takes to set things straight... but that would only happen in an imaginary world

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Dawes might not make it to World Cup with India http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/723247.html Bowling coach Joe Dawes is not guaranteed an extension when the contracts of the Indian coaching staff are reviewed after the World Twenty20 in March. The way things stand now, heading into an important BCCI working committee - and things can suddenly change in the BCCI - head coach Duncan Fletcher and fielding coach Trevor Penney are likely to get an extension till the 2015 World Cup, but Dawes could end up paying for India bowlers' mediocre performance away from home. In another big development, an Indian could be appointed assistant coach of the side. The BCCI's working committee, which will meet in Bhubaneswar on Friday, is set to discuss restructuring the national team's coaching staff. The contracts of Fletcher, Penney and Dawes run out at the end of the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. All the coaches have received severe criticism from experts following the team's terrible run away from home - India ended both their tour of South Africa and New Zealand winless. However, the proximity of the 2015 World Cup is likely to work in favour of Fletcher and Penney. Despite India's solitary win in 15 away Tests under Fletcher, the team's overall record in all formats during his tenure is decent. A BCCI insider confirmed that most of the BCCI bigwigs are "quite happy" with the way Fletcher and Penney have been handling the team. However Dawes, who came on board at the end of India's disastrous tour to Australia in 2011-12, seems to have lost the confidence of the BCCI top brass with the Indian bowling consistently faltering in various conditions. The BCCI hasn't been mulling over a like-for-like replacement for Dawes. Instead of a bowling coach, the appointment of an Indian as assistant coach is being discussed. A BCCI insider revealed the move would take into consideration the availability of "top coaches in India now". "That wasn't the case ten years ago, so we had to resort to foreigners. If the board agrees to appoint an Indian as assistant coach, it is possible we might see an Indian as the head coach in the future," he said. The last time an Indian was a part of the national team's coaching staff was when Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad served as fielding and bowling coach, respectively, in the early days of Gary Kirsten's stint as the India coach. Both Singh and Prasad were unceremoniously sacked in October 2009. Prior to that, former India opener Lalchand Rajput served as the assistant coach before Kirsten took over. After having worked as the cricket manager during the inaugural World Twenty20 in September 2007 and the limited-overs series at home against Australia in October-November 2007, Rajput was appointed the assistant coach for the 2007-08 tour to Australia. Rajput, now in charge of the BCCI's batting academy, is one of the three frontrunners for the post. The other two candidates that are being considered are former allrounder Sanjay Bangar and former pace bowler Bharat Arun. While Bangar was in charge of the India A squad for the home series against West Indies and New Zealand last year, Arun was the NCA's chief bowling coach for well over two years before he resigned last year. Arun has also been in charge of the India Under-19 team for three years.

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