MS Dhoni has said India will present a united front during the forthcoming one-day international series against England, with Duncan Fletcher “still the boss” despite Ravi Shastri’s arrival as team director.
The tourists' descent to a 3-1 defeat, after losing the final Test by an innings at The Oval in London last week, brought an immediate change to their management structure, with former all-rounder Shastri recruited in a new role.
The services of fielding and bowling coaches Trevor Penney and Joe Dawes were not retained, as it seemed was originally planned, for the limited-overs leg of India’s summer.
Former England coach Fletcher remains in place, still in pursuit of a first series triumph here in his new guise, following a fruitless tour in 2011, too, although his team did defeat the hosts in last year’s Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston.
Asked about Fletcher’s status and his continuing role at the World Cup early next year, after both he and Shastri played a prominent part in overseeing nets on the eve of the five-match one-day series, which begins on Monday at the County Ground in Bristol, Dhoni was unequivocal.
“Definitely, Duncan will lead us into the World Cup ... he is still the boss,” the captain said.
“We have Ravi, who will look into everything, but Duncan Fletcher is the boss. It’s not as if his powers or his position have been curtailed ... still, the operations remain the same.
“We have a few other support staff who come into the dressing room, but overall the operation remains the same.”
While Fletcher instructed on a chilly morning in Bristol while wearing his trademark sun hat and sunglasses on Sunday, Shastri’s attire was notable for the lack of tracksuit and trainers, instead favouring a pair of jeans and suede loafers.
If that was a departure from the conventional coaching garb, Dhoni hinted that a hands-on management style can be expected from Shastri.
“He is here to oversee the operations,” he said.
“He is a very proud India cricketer, and at the same time very positive.
“He believes a lot in fighting and having the right instincts ... giving 100 per cent.
“He also speaks the same language, and can interact a lot with the players.”
Dhoni said he anticipates some increased firepower in the opposition, too, during the next two weeks after the enlistment of Alex Hales as England's new 50-overs opener alongside Alastair Cook, the captain.
“He is a fantastic batsman. He is a tall guy so he has a different reach,” Dhoni said of Hales.
“He also plays the spinners well. It will be a good acquisition for the English side.”
Cook said that while he was aware India were on the back foot after their disappointing showings during the Test series, in which they led 1-0 after two Tests, he expected a tougher challenge in the 50-overs format.
“A change of format will obviously do them good,” he said. “It’s not quite the same groundhog day for them, probably.
“We’ve got to remember they’re world champions at 50 overs, so they obviously know what they’re doing and will probably go into this as favourites.
“But if we play well, we’re hard to beat in our conditions.”
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