Duncan Fletcher, the former England coach and former Zimbabwe captain, has been appointed India's coach, ending weeks of speculation over who will succeed Gary Kirsten. The BCCI announced the decision to give Fletcher a two-year contract after a Working Committee meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. Eric Simons' tenure as the team's bowling coach was also extended.
Fletcher, though, is unlikely to be with the team during the tour of West Indies in June. "The contract with Fletcher is for two years," N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, told reporters after the meeting. "He may not join the team in West Indies as he has some prior commitments."
"After a lot of thought and consultation, the BCCI president and BCCI secretary placed Fletcher's name before the Working Committee, which the Committee ratified," Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, said, adding that the terms and conditions of Fletcher's appointment would be the same as Kirsten's.
Fletcher, 62, was in charge of the England team when they beat Australia in 2005 to win the Ashes for the first time since 1986-'87, and was credited with turning around England's fortunes in Tests during his eight-year stint, first with Nasser Hussain and then with Michael Vaughan.
He was England's first foreign coach and took over in 1999; soon enough, he oversaw Test series wins in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, though Australia thrashed England 4-1 in the Ashes in 2001. Later, with Vaughan, he helped England win their first Test series in South Africa post apartheid and the pair played a critical role in moulding a team that was to win the Ashes the following year.
England won 42 and lost 30 Tests with Fletcher in charge but their ODI form wasn't as good - winning 75 and losing 82. His tenure reached its lowest ebb during a 0-5 Ashes drubbing in Australia in 2006-'07 and a disappointing 2007 World Cup campaign, after which he stepped down. One of Fletcher's problems during his England reign was a tetchy relationship with the media, something which Vaughan felt could be a hindrance in his India job as well. "Duncan will work well with all the talent," Vaughan tweeted. "His biggest challenge will come from the media ... he has never really understood how it works."
After giving up the England job, he has taken up several short-term international assignments. He joined South Africa as a batting consultant in 2008, a role he returned to for the 2011 World Cup, and was in a similar position with New Zealand on their tour of India last year.
England were officially ranked the worst Test team when he took over as their coach, and he will now take charge of a team that won the World Cup earlier this month and is currently topping the Test rankings.
One of the first coaching jobs Fletcher took up was at the University of Cape Town where Kirsten was part of the team. The pair once again were together at Western Province.
In 1994, Fletcher applied for his first high-profile job - the head coach of South Africa. He was one of the three candidates interviewed. His two other competitors were Eddie Barlow and Bob Woolmer. Eventually the three-man panel comprising Peter Pollock, Raymond White and Ali Bacher agreed on Woolmer, who stayed with the job till 1999. Fletcher, meanwhile, operated as South Africa A coach for a while before taking up the England assignment.
According to Bacher, Fletcher's style of coaching draws a lot from his playing days."Hardworking, disciplined, very professionally driven and played to his utmost potential even if he was not blessed with extraordinary talent. He brings the same characteristics to his coaching," Bacher said.
Fletcher also has been known to work on an individual basis with Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis. Kallis spent time with Fletcher prior to travelling to India for the IPL.
