Duncan Fletcher to coach India till World Cup 2015

New Delhi: Firmly backing coach Duncan Fletcher amidst a barrage of criticism following a series of poor show from him, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday extended the Zimbabwean’s contract till the 2015 World Cup. The contracts of Fletcher’s support staff, consisting of fielding coach Trevor Penny and bowling coach Joe Dawes, too have received similar extensions.

“We have extended Fletcher’s contract till the 2015 World Cup,” a top BCCI official told The Indian Express. “The BCCI assessed all possibilities and came to conclusion that it won’t be right to have a new coach at the moment. Fletcher has been with the team for last three years and it will be best if he is continues for another year.

“We can’t afford to have new coach at the moment especially with a series like England and Australia to come later this year,” the source added. The foreign contingent in the Indian team, meanwhile, will also receive their fees in Indian rupees from now on.

“Earlier they were paid in US dollars. We don’t want to sign contracts in dollars due to the constant fluctuations of the rupee. Just like it was during the IPL auction where all contracts were signed in rupees,” the official added.

It is learnt that in his meeting with the then BCCI president N Srinivasan, just days before the team’s departure for the ongoing World T20, Fletcher was told not to worry about his future with the Indian team. It is said that there was an assurance given by the BCCI president with the added message to focus on the job at hand.

India has lost their last four Test series away from home (England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) and also their last three ODI series (South Africa, New Zealand and the Asia Cup) in Fletcher’s tenure.