Dhoni: Fletcher will lead us to the World Cup

India captain Mahenda Singh Dhoni has denied that coach Duncan Fletcher is being squeezed out by the appointment of Ravi Shastri as team director, saying Fletcher will be the man to take them to the World Cup.

India captain Mahenda Singh Dhoni has denied that coach Duncan Fletcher is being squeezed out by the appointment of Ravi Shastri as team director, saying Fletcher will be the man to take them to the World Cup.

Shastri was appointed to oversee the team, and Fletcher, it appeared, after the Test series defeat to England, leading to speculation that Fletcher would soon be sacked. But Dhoni has backed the coach, saying he would not be going anywhere.

Dhoni said: "Definitely he will lead us into the World Cup. Also he is still the boss. 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.

"I don't know what you feel from outside, but still operations remain the same. We have a few other support staff who come into the dressing room, but overall the operation remains the same."

The skipper was happy with Shastri's appointment though, adding: "He is here to oversee the operations. From the outside, what he feels and everything. It's good to have him.

"The reason being 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, going over and giving his 100%.

"It is obviously good to have him. He also speaks the same language, and can interact a lot with the players. Same is the case with other people, so it is good to have them."

As for the other changes made post-Tests, Dhoni said he felt bad for fielding coach Trevor Penney and bowling coach Joe Dawes, who were sent packing because of poor efforts from the team, especially in terms of slip catching.

Dhoni said: "Some things just [happen] this way. It's a bit tough on Trevor and Joey, I know. Especially when fielders drop catches and the fielding coach has to miss the series.

"But let's hope for the best. We are welcoming the new guys because that is very important. They will be part of the dressing-room family as of now. We will have to give them some time to adjust to how we operate, and see what kind of input they bring to the table."

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