• What would be your advice to the Indian team to sustain the level of performance throughout a long tour? Akhil Tandulwadikar Sustaining performance over a long tour is difficult for any team. While it is the job of the coach (with captain) to ‘feel’ the team environment, it requires each member to play a role. It is important though that sufficient time is given to ‘getting away’ from cricket to keep mind and body and interpersonal relationships as fresh as possible. • The Indian team lost both the finals — World Cup and VB series — to Australia. But did you notice any improvement in the team’s performance at the VB series? Shailendra Kumar It is important for the Indian team and Indian supporters to realise that they contested both finals after having played very well through each tournament. I have had the same discussion with many football coaches in Australia — that is, ‘‘we do not seem to play well when we reach the finals: why?’’ For me the answer seems to always reside in, ‘‘has their approach differed from lead-up games to finals?’’ The answer is generally, ‘‘YES!’’ I believe such an answer, if given honestly, provides the basis for any team to move forward. • It’s evident that despite winning, the Aussie team is on the decline. In a year, the core of the side would have retired. What happens then to Australian cricket? Ashok Bhattacharya I am not sure how you base your claims of decline. My figures in ODI and Tests show that over the last four years our winning trends have at worst plateaued and are possibly still increasing. The rate of increase is due to the fact that we are now winning at between 75-80 per cent of matches, so that draws, weather preventing results — all mean that we will lose some games. We are not invincible! Regardless of these winning percentages, I see one of my key tasks is to look into the future and establish a pathway for continued success which includes among many elements, player succession planning. • It is now accepted that India is the second best test/ODI team. How should it change/ work to move to the top? Pradeep HK India is improving as an ODI team. It now requires consistency of management, i.e. selection, coaching, training methodologies and internal culture. • How do you rate Saurav as a skipper and as a player? K R S Rao Sourav is an astute captain. He, along with John Wright, has instilled a different attitude and approach to the Indian team for which Indian cricket will benefit long after he finishes playing. • As a coach, you are renowned for picking out weaknesses in cricketers. What’s the best way to stem the flow of runs when Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting, Symonds are at full steam? Sandeep Das As a coach, one of the first laws to giving your team the best chance of being successful is not to divulge key information about your own players! • Is it morally correct of the Australian team to continue sledging? Shailenda Kumar The topic of sledging is always difficult to answer as every nation’s culture, which is the basis of each cricketing team’s values and ethics, differs. As a consequence, ‘‘the spirit of cricket’’ has a different interpretation for each team. All Australian cricketers, coaches, administrators, umpires do not condone any verbal abuse of opposition — this is our definition of sledging. That said, we are no different to any other sporting team which seeks to stay in front of its opposition, by looking at all means. These areas can be broadly defined as technical (the skills base), physical (athleticism and endurance), tactical (strategy, analysis and innovation), mental (skills application), and team (culture of success).
