appointed coach Duncan Fletcher Thursday got a taste of the challenges he faces when two senior former players said a fellow countryman should have got the job instead. Fletcher, a former Zimbabwean all-rounder who rose to prominence during his eight-year stint as England coach, was awarded a two-year contract Wednesday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian captains and influential voices in the cricket establishment, expressed displeasure over Fletcher's appointment. “Who is Duncan Fletcher?” Dev asked the Hindustan Times newspaper. “I would like to see Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh (former India players) as coaches of the Indian team. Not because they are Indians but because they did a great job at the T20 World Cup in 2007.” Gavaskar said former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, who played a key role in guiding the team to its first World Cup win in 1983, should have been picked. “Someone like Amarnath would have been a better choice for the simple reason that the core of the Indian team today is from the Hindi-speaking belt,” he told the NDTV news channel. “He would have got on brilliantly with this group as well as the seniors. It would have been a lot easier for Amarnath to understand and interact with the players. “There is a perception and a wrong one that an Indian (coach) can be influenced and that he will get involved in politics. You are presuming that he cannot be a strong person.” India selected Fletcher after South African Gary Kirsten stepped down having led the team to the World Cup earlier this month on home turf. Rajasthan, Bangalore win South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha starred with both bat and ball in Rajasthan Royals' impressive seven-wicket win over MumbaiIndians, while Virat Kohli's fluent half-century helped Royal Challengers Bangalore defeat Pune Warriors by 26 runs in IPL matches Friday. Botha grabbed three wickets and then hit 45 runs — the top score of the match — as Rajasthan made 95-3 off 18.1 overs in reply to Mumbai's 94-8 on a pitch that aided spin bowling. The win took Rajasthan to nine points from eight games but Mumbai remained top with 10 from seven. Bangalore also moved to nine from eight as Kohli (67) and West Indian Chris Gayle (49) helped amass 181-5. Pune was restricted to 155-5 and remained on four points after seven games. Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 95-3 in 18.1 overs (Johan Botha 45, Shane Watson 26; Munaf Patel 2-18) defeat MumbaiIndians 94-8 in 20 overs (Andrew Symonds 17; Johan Botha 3-6, Amit Singh 2-14, Ashok Menaria 2-20). Royal Challengers Bangalore 181-5 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 67, Chris Gayle 49; Alfonso Thomas 2-23, Rahul Sharma 2-27) def. Pune Warriors 155-5 in 20 overs (Jesse Ryder 51, Yuvraj Singh 41; Chris Gayle 1-8).
