It is said that Defeat is orphan, while Success has many fathers. Going by the reactions to India winning the International Cricket Council’s Champions Trophy, this seems all too true.
Commentators, critics and the media have listed various reasons for the success of the Indian team but one important name is conspicuous by its absence. And it’s difficult to say if this is deliberate or just an oversight.
Wondering who the person is? None other than the Indian team’s coach, Duncan Fletcher! No one seems to have remembered him at this hour of glory!
We have been seeing people go ga-ga over Dhoni’s ice-cool temperament. We have heard others praise selection panel Chairman Sandip Patil for infusing fresh blood into the side. But hardly anyone is giving due credit to Fletcher, once the favourite whipping boy of the Press when India lost two Test series against England — in England and at home — and against Australia too.
No doubt, Dhoni praised the coach’s role before the semi-finals against Sri Lanka but after that Fletcher seems to have taken the back-seat.
A look at the events of the last couple of years shows that Fletcher, too, has begun calling the shots in Indian cricket. A few months ago, when his contract with the Indian team was extended, a hue and cry was raised in the media. But the media-shy Zimbabwean has proved that he is capable of repeating the feat he achieved as the English team’s coach.
After taking over as coach for England in 1999, the English side’s Test record improved considerably and it went on to win the Ashes in 2005, after 18 years.
His tenure with the Indian team has been mixed, with the 4-0 series victory at home against Australia being the best. Critics, though, point out that Team Australia is no longer held in the awe it once was.
Be that as it may, the Champions Trophy triumph is no small achievement. One of the biggest takeaways from the win is India conquering its age-old weakness of playing the ball between the lip and hip. The proof of India of having overcome the problem was evident in the very first match. South Africa’s pacemen resorted to short-pitched bowling against the Indian batsmen, only to concede more than 6.5 runs an over and end up on the losing side. The West Indies, the first to exploit this weakness in earlier tournaments, including the T-20 World Championship, too found a transformed side, much to their dismay.
The Englishmen also tried the trick a couple of times in the finals, only to see Shikhar Dhawan go airborne and cut a six to third man.
While Dhoni’s contribution in moulding his young team cannot be stressed enough, no team can come out on top in all departments, including acquiring the crucial psychological edge, without the guidance of the coach. Surely, Fletcher has played an important part in this. And it would only be in the fitness of things to acknowledge his role in this hour of victory!