Canberra: India coach Duncan Fletcher has made both local media and Cricket Australia set-up paranoid ahead of the four-match Test series starting on December 26.
While Fletcher’s technical expertise has forced Australian coach Mickey Arthur to order a three-day camp for his batsmen, the local media sees his remotely operated hand behind the suggestion yesterday that Indians were close to abandoning the three-day fixture against CA Chairman’s XI here and move to Melbourne.
Fletcher has termed Australian captain Michael Clarke as a “nicker” for his tendency to reach out to drive outside his off-stump and Arthur has no doubt he would have done similar assessment on his other batsmen. “He’s a fantastic technician. He will try to unpick the Australian players’ techniques, he is very good at that, and he will present a team that’s very well prepared,” said Arthur.
Arthur believes that Fletcher would plot a swing-led attack against his batsmen and hence he wants them to be fully prepared for what lies ahead in the four-match Test series.
The local media similarly went to town about the suggestion from a Canberra groundsman that Fletcher could have been behind the alleged Indian move to leave Canberra for Melbourne in order to avoid the falling rain in Australian capital.
Fletcher was the England coach when Australian were beaten in that historic Ashes series of 2005.
His mischievous wink at Ricky Ponting from the balcony at Trent Bridge after the batsman was run out by a substitute fielder saw the then Australian skipper go ballast at the English dressing room. (PTI)