Former India player should work with Fletcher - BCCI joint-secretary

Following India's defeat in England, BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur has voiced concern over the performance of the team's support staff. He said he felt "some introspection" is needed.

"Not only as a BCCI official, but just like millions of fans, I am extremely disappointed with the Indian team's performance in this Test series against England," Thakur told PTI. "I think some introspection is needed in order to get back to winning ways."

Thakur felt the role of coach Duncan Fletcher had to be looked into, to see if some alternative options could be worked out. "Obviously, there are questions about the role of support staff after such a performance. If you ask me, I would ideally like an Indian support staff to work in tandem with Fletcher, which might help him to prepare better for the future tour," Thakur, who is also the president of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, suggested.

Asked to elaborate, Thakur explained, "What I feel is that a former cricketer of repute should be working with Mr Fletcher. It necessarily does not have to be a coaching role but some well-defined role. We have a lot of former greats and they have an idea about the psyche of the Indian players. The focus will be on those former players who have done well in overseas conditions.

"Since they have been there and done that, they can talk to the players, understand their technical problems. They can act as a bridge between the players and the chief coach. I believe a reputed former Indian player is necessary to improve the communication."

He agreed that a demoralising defeat, like the ones at Old Trafford and The Oval, will play on players' minds but a good show in the ODI series can change that. "The ODIs will start and right now what one needs is to lift the spirits of the players. A good performance in the limited overs is needed to boost the confidence," Thakur said. "Hopefully, the support staff will be able to lift the morale of the team."

Thakur was non-committal on whether MS Dhoni should continue as the captain of the team. "That is a call that selectors have to take and I can't individually comment on that," he said. "If there are any suggestions that I need to put forward on this issue, I will do it at the appropriate forum and not through the media."