Among the all round severe criticism being faced by Duncan Fletcher, there comes a big relief as former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has extended his full support to Fletcher and his staff. Commenting on the necessity of keeping them, he said “I am hoping the BCCI will stick to the support staff we had for the ODIs till the World Cup. The tournament is only six months away so there isn’t enough time to chop and change.”
Imposing faith on Shastri and the coaching team he said “I have worked with Ravi Shastri in 2007 when we toured Bangladesh and he is a very positive person, (has) immense knowledge of the game. Duncan Fletcher as a head coach should stay till the World Cup. I am glad Bharat Arun and R. Sridhar got their opportunity to coach at the highest level because they have a good track record at the India A and Under-19 level, and Sanjay Bangar because of his recent success with Kings XI Punjab.”
Laxman also opined that Rohit Sharma should be considered for opening the innings for India during their title defense at the 50-over World Cup next year because the pitch conditions in Australia will suit him. “The wickets in Australia will suit him (Rohit). He had a successful ODI series in 2007 when he was young and inexperienced. His style of batting will suit Australian conditions, so I will definitely go back to Rohit and have Rahane as a back-up but play him in the middle order.”
Underlining the important role played by Suresh Raina in the recent tour of England, he stated “He is a very important player because not only is he a good batsman but he is also an exceptional fielder, who lifts the entire team on the field. He is also a useful bowler, who has the knack of taking wickets at crucial times.”
Laxman also extended his full support to Kohli by commenting that “It’s good that he is having a break before the series against West Indies and isn’t part of the Champions League because this time away will allow him to reflect on what has happened and come back stronger. He is a very hard working young cricketer and I am sure that he will bounce back. It’s a matter of time before he starts scoring runs like the way he has over the last few years.”
Given the rich experience of VVS Laxman, let us hope that the management will consider the valuable suggestions given by him.