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Handed the task of overseeing a struggling Indian cricket side, newly-appointed Team Director Ravi Shastri has refuted suggestions that his role would undermine the position of beleaguered coach Duncan Fletcher.
Shastri was appointed Team Director after India lost the fifth and final Test against England in under three days to go down 1—3 in the series.
“My role is to oversee everything. All of them report to me. This is for the ODI series in England,” Shastri told ‘ESPNCricinfo’.
Asked if his position would affect Fletcher’s stature, Shastri said, “Absolutely not. He stays as the head coach. And these two (Sanjay Bangar and B Arun) will be his assistants.”
Shastri said he took up this assignment as he wanted to contribute to the team.
“It was an important time in Indian cricket. When asked I thought about it and then said, ‘fine’ The state of Indian cricket is such that I know I can contribute. I have never been scared about how tough the job is or how easy the job is. The important thing is the contribution.
“If I am here today, and at times some forget, it is because of the BCCI. The platform they gave me when I was a junior cricketer to play for my State and then the country,” he said.
On whether he has had a word with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Fletcher after his appointment, Shastri said, “I spent about two hours with them (on Tuesday). We had a chat about where things are at the moment, how things have to be addressed, and how important communication will be.”
Asked what he felt were the reasons for India’s failure in the Test series, Shastri said it was inexperience.
“If you calculate the number of Test matches played by the XI as opposed to some of the tours where we fared worse, here we at least won a Test match.”
“We did not win a Test in 1974 (3—0) and were whitewashed on the last tour here with some of the biggest names (in the team). So if you calculate the number of Test caps between this unit and some of the other units that have come (in the past), it is chalk and cheese,” he explained.
“On this tour I saw India’s greatest ever overseas win I have seen. I know it because I have never seen a track like that and an inexperienced side pulled it off. Then I also saw some spineless cricket over the last three Tests matches.”
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