Great Zimbabwean War

As Team India embarks on the tour of England in its bid to continue its reign as the next cricket powerhouse, its sole aim would be to win. In the scenario, the spotlight will be on new coach Duncan Fletcher.

His strongest point this series will be his knowledge of the insides of the English team. He was the England coach from 1999 to 2007 and left as a messiah for British cricket after having revived it from a tattered reputation. No star-performers and collective sloppiness was what he inherited. But he brought in professionalism and shaped a success story English cricket had long forgotten. The Ashes triumph in more than 18 years in the 2005 edition over an Australian team considered invincible, Fletcher was the key in turning the careers of many a player in the current English squad.

But now he is in-charge of the Indian team — the No 1 Test team in the world. Considered the best analytical coach, Fletcher is a silent and strict performer. He is a man of few words who keeps a low profile. His inputs will be valuable for India as he has a fair bit of idea about the current crop of English players. A perfect man to plot the downfall of his erstwhile pupils. The upcoming Lord’s Test will be a huge moment for him as it will also mark his 100th Test match as coach.

Interestingly. This time he will be pitted against compatriot Andy Flower who has done a tremendous job as coach of the current England team. An interesting battle of wits is, thus, on the cards. Here goes the lowdown:

Duncan Fletcher: His 100th too

Strong points: Fletcher knows English cricket well having coached them for eight years from 1999 to the 2007 WC.
Was key in shaping the careers of Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson, Ian Bell and other youngsters.
He made England a better Test team, won them the historic 2005 edition of Ashes against an invincible Kangaroo side.
Termed the best analytical coach for plotting the downfall of many Australian batsmen like Adam Gilchrist by making the English bowl round the wicket to him and reverse swing.

Weak Point: New to the Indian dressing room. Doesn’t know many players’ strengths and weaknesses.

Andy Flower: Grassroots worker

Strong points: Knows his team very well and also gets supports from the players.
He has helped English batsmen adjust technique that suits slow bowling.
He has a wonderful track record against the Indians himself and used to play spinners well. This has helped English cricketers handle spinners better. Target: Harbhajan Singh.

Weak Point: Sometimes takes weird and ‘third-eye’ decisions