Under-fire Fletcher meets BCCI chief ahead of Sri Lanka tour

India coach Duncan Fletcher, under huge pressure after the team’s poor performances under his watch in the last one year, especially in England and Australia, was called for a meeting with the cricket board president, N Srinivasan, at his residence on Tuesday morning.

India coach Duncan Fletcher, under huge pressure after the team’s poor performances under his watch in the last one year, especially in England and Australia, was called for a meeting with the cricket board president, N Srinivasan, at his residence on Tuesday morning.

Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief downplayed the significance of the meeting, its timing, a day before the team leaves for Sri Lanka to start a fresh season, could spark doubts whether Fletcher will complete his two-year term which began after Gary Kirsten stepped down following last year’s World Cup triumph.

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“I always make it a point to meet the players and support staff whenever I can,” Srinivasan told HT. “And since the team was in Chennai, I wasn’t going to let go of an opportunity to meet the coach. It was a routine and cordial meeting.”

HT had reported on Monday that the former Zimbabwe player faces the heat as India get set for a busy season that also includes home Test series against England and Australia, who had both routed India over the last 12 months.

Fletcher, who has faced the embarrassment of losing eight Tests on the trot abroad as India coach, is being criticised for his inability to raise the team’s performance and handle the warring factions within it.

“From my point of view, it went very well. We discussed the kind of issues I don’t think we can debate in this forum. We had a good chat for about an hour-and-a-half. From my point of view, we have taken stock of the present. We just have to wait and see what happens in the future.”