IANS

Mumbai, Oct 15: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Thursday sacked bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh.

In a terse statement, the board said: "The BCCI has decided to discontinue the services of bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh with immediate effect,"

But a senior board official told IANS that the decision to relieve Prasad and Singh was taken after a review of the performance of the team overseas in recent months.

"It was noticed that the showing of the fast bowlers and also the fielding was not up to the mark. The board president had a meeting with coach Gary Kirsten before taking the decision."

Both Prasad and Singh had taken over as coaches since the tour to Bangladesh just after the India's disastrous World Cup campaign in 2007.

They had been retained in March along with the rest of India's support staff.

India fared badly in Twenty20 World Cup in England and the Champions Trophy in South Africa because of poor fielding and wayward bowling by the fast bowlers.

Singh was recently appointed the coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Mumbai Indians while Prasad is now the bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings after serving in the same capacity with the Bangalore Royal Challengers.