Switchblade Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/cricket-news/69358/duncan-fletcher-india-can-win-the-world-cup Duncan Fletcher, India's coach, believes the team can defend their ICC World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand because of the feeling of continuity between the Test and ODIs squads as well as their ability to chase big totals. Ahead of his third World Cup as a coach, and first with India, Fletcher referred to India's unbeaten run during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England as signs of the team's capability overseas. "I am very excited, especially given the side we have. I think we are a good chance to win after the way the team has been building over the last three-four years," he told BCCI.TV in an exclusive interview. "A big reason for my belief is our Champions Trophy (2013) victory in England. We played in very foreign conditions that didn't suit the side and yet we played so well that we didn't lose a single match. That shows that the side is used to winning and that's really exciting." India's squad for the tournament features only four members of the 2011 side - captain MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin - but Fletcher, 66, did not feel that a relatively young side would be overawed. "We do want experience. You cannot beat experience," he said. "We have played three ICC tournaments in the last three years the ICC World Twenty20 2012-13 and 2014, and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. And people will be surprised to see that we have only lost two games in all of which one was the final. That is quite a record to be proud of. And the team in all those tournaments was more or less the same. So, these boys do have the experience when it comes to the big tournaments and they do know how to win them. "What makes this team special is that over the last few years they have faced all kinds of situations in the limited-overs cricket and have shown they are capable of coming out successfully from all of them. That's why I say that we have a good chance to win this World Cup." The former England coach also stressed on the importance of continuity, and why similar Test and ODIs squads would aid India's World Cup bid. "It's very important. I truly believe that in these times if your squads are very similar in all three formats, it's a huge advantage," he said. "The players are together all the time, they know each other's games and the roles they have to play within the team. I've always believed that to play cricket, you need to have certain technical aspects not for the format you're playing but for the game on the whole. "Since most of these boys have played in the Test series, they know the conditions well and how each player approaches his game in these conditions. When too many new players come in, it takes time for everyone to get used to their little idiosyncrasies and how they cope in certain situations. But when you know each other's strengths and weaknesses, you are doing away with the learning curve and that gives you a chance to hit the ground running." Several members of the World Cup squad have been in Australia since late November, playing two warm-up matches and four Tests. Next is the tri-series featuring Australia and England, and Fletcher felt spending a couple months in Australia before the World Cup was a "huge advantage". "Playing the tri-series just before the World Cup is a great idea for us in getting used to how the white ball behaves here. What's more is that we don't play these two sides (Australia and England) in the group stage and this series will be a good chance to have a look at them for the advance stages of the World Cup," he said. India's pace attack of Varun Aaron, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar underwhelmed in the 2-0 Test series loss to Australia, but Fletcher termed it as "a lot of unwarranted flack". From that pack, Ishant, Umesh, Shami and Bhuvneshwar are in the World Cup squad and the Zimbabwean was confident of a better showing come February 15. "As for in the World Cup, we have to remember that when we won the Champions Trophy, the bowlers defended a very, very low total for us and they must be given credit for that," he said. "I feel that they are much more confident when they bowl in the one-day game because they have played more amount of limited overs cricket with the ODIs, IPL and T20Is. They have much more experience in the shorter formats as compared to Test cricket and I am sure they will put on a good performance." Also lending to Fletcher's optimism about the defending champions at the World Cup was their ability to chase big totals in ODIs. Since the 2011 World Cup final, the team has successfully chased on 36 occasions while failing 17 times (there were two ties). Of the 36 matches won when chasing, five times India overhauled targets in excess of 300 - most famously against Sri Lanka in Hobart when they chased 321 in 36.4 overs, in the Asia Cup when they chased 330 in 47.5 to beat Pakistan and a nine-wicket win over Australia in Jaipur after conceding 359. "One-day cricket is all about handling extreme pressure when the side is down; understanding where the game is poised at that stage and finding your way out of that situation to end up on the winning side. Our excellent record when chasing totals shows that," said Fletcher. "The team has been led by MS Dhoni's attitude. Most other sides can't do it because under such pressure, you lose your cool, the decision-making becomes cluttered and you lose your way. Because MS is so adept at soaking in the pressure, we have done well in those situations. It is important to be calm and take the game all the way and win with maybe three balls to spare. People might say, 'Oh, they barely got home', but getting home is the most important thing." India open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan - whom they have never lost to in the tournament - at Adelaide Oval on February 15.
BeautifulGame Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 Some very good points by Fletcher. Conditions are slightly over rated in ICC competitions IMO Its often the teams that handle the pressure in K-O will win the cup .Which we are very good at Also our bowlers are very underrated in limited Overs cricket
Lord Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 just like we were gonna dominate Test cricket for 10 yrs when he came in
The Realist Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 Was he speaking from his BCCI funded retirement home? THE worst "coach" in the sports world today.
asterix Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 :cantstop: Look who's talking... He finally got some time off from munching Samosas to say something...
vvvslaxman Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 :cantstop: Look who's talking... He finally got some time off from munching Samosas to say something... We need to know when this interview was started. Probably an year back. In between munching he has given the whole interview.
The Realist Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 Shastri has a bigger belly than Fletcher...
veer Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 Some very good points by Fletcher. Conditions are slightly over rated in ICC competitions IMO Its often the teams that handle the pressure in K-O will win the cup .Which we are very good at Also our bowlers are very underrated in limited Overs cricket True.. what a turn around from 90s. We used to fold regularly but now we are one of the best.
AmreekanDesi Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 He can talk? Its unbelievable that this is a coach whose whole reputation is based on McGrath slipping on a ball on the morning of a test and injuring himself. And he's been milking it for years. Unbelievable how his last 2 assignments for England were a 5-0 spanking in Oz and a WC humiliation
HIC_NAA Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 Duncan fletcher is someone who everyone who has worked with him has praised but i just dont know how he couldnt be successfull with Indian cricket team
BeautifulGame Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 He can talk? Its unbelievable that this is a coach whose whole reputation is based on McGrath slipping on a ball on the morning of a test and injuring himself. And he's been milking it for years. Unbelievable how his last 2 assignments for England were a 5-0 spanking in Oz and a WC humiliation It isn't solely based on that .He built an English team which was worse than Zimbabwe into the 2nd best team in the world .Winning the Ashes after 17 years was the crowning glory . Just read how much the likes of Hussain and Vaughan rave about him.
nevada Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 He can speak :omg: :haha::haha::haha: that was my reaction as well! He speaks!
singhprakash72 Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 If I can fleece BCCI without raising a finger, so can India win the World Cup
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