Fletcher to take over Indian cricket team after Windies tour

MUMBAI - Former England coach Duncan Fletcher was Wednesday named India’s coach for the next two years and is likely to take charge after the two-month tour of the West Indies concludes in July.

Fletcher’s appointment was made during the working committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) here. Fletcher recently had served as a coaching consultant to South Africa and New Zealand.

The methodical Fletcher replaces South African Gary Kirsten, under whom India won the 2011 World Cup and also became the No.1 Test team for the first time. Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and Fletcher’s compatriot Andy Flower were also the possible contenders for the post.

”The contract with Fletcher is for two years. He may not join the team in the West Indies as he has some prior commitments,” board secretary N. Srinivasan told reporters.

The BCCI also decided to retain South African Eric Simons as the bowling coach.

Fletcher played just six ODI matches and led Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, which was won by India.

The 62-year-old Fletcher, now a British citizen, was the coach of the England team for almost eight years (1999-2007) and also guided them to an Ashes series win in 2005 for the first time in 18 years.

Fletcher, who never played Test cricket, is credited with turning around the England cricket team, first with captain Nasser Hussain and then Michael Vaughan.

Fletcher took over as England coach in 1999 as its first foreign coach and guided it to Test series wins over Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Fletcher also guided England to their maiden Test series win on South African soil in the post-apartheid era in 2005, and followed it up with the Ashes victory, their first since 1986-87.

But Fletcher’s couldn’t repeat the same success with the ODI team and he quit in 2007 after the team’s disastrous World Cup campaign in the Caribbean.