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Team morale is high, says Gaekwad

The historic Chepauk grounds sprang to life again with the Colombo-bound Indian team beginning their four-day conditioning camp today.

"The morale of the boys is quite high. The patchy performance in the World Cup is behind them," declared coach Anshuman Gaekwad after the team had their first stint at the nets.

Captain Sachin Tendulkar agreed to a suggestion that he talk to the newsmen tomorrow after the second session of the morning.

Answering an array of questions, Gaekwad said the team is well balanced and should emerge victorious in the tri-series, against hosts Sri Lanka and World Cup champions Australia.

"Barring new wicketkeeper M S K Prasad, the other players have been in the team before. The balance is so good, every player has grown in terms of potential. Only Prasad has to prove himself on this tour," he pointed out.

He disagreed that the team's performance in the World Cup was bad: "In every match we got good scores for the bowlers to have a go."

Asked if the recall of left hand batsman Vinod Kambli meant that captain Sachin Tendulkar was being given more say in selection of the team, as he had demanded earlier, Gaekwad said, "Kambli was in the team even for the Sharjah tournament when Sachin was not the captain. He was in the side on his own merit after being sidelined due to injury."

To a question whether the Bombay batsman is fully fit, Gaekwad shot back: "You have seen him in the nets today. He is doing fine."

He stressed that consistency is a vital factor in the team's fortunes. "If a team can win three games in a row and lose one or two matches next, it points to the fact that it is not playing consistently. This has to be corrected and that's what I meant when I said this camp will strive to adopt a winning combination," he said.

Gaekwad's chat with the media threw up other interesting questions ... and answers.
Like:
Will the team miss the experience of Mohammad Azharuddin in the batting line-up?
"That happens sometimes. There have been many occasions when a senior player has had to stand down. We did not have even Sachin in the team once."

Will Sachin have more powers in the matter of selection now?
"The captain and coach were always consulted. The selectors take our views before they do their job."

Do you see any changes in the batting line-up, like not opening with Tendulkar in the tri-series?
"There is no alarming situation. Basically, I don't want to disturb the batting. If the best batsman in the world can get out early, it could happen to any batsman."

Does fielding and running between the wickets continue to plague the team?
"The team is making conscious efforts to improve in all aspects."

Don't you feel the need for a physical fitness expert like Andrew Kokinos?
"This being a short practice session for the players to get together and practice, and get the combination together, the need for a physical fitness expert like Andrew Kokinos is not felt. I will ask for one if there is a longer camp in the future; that too based on the performance in the tri-series.

Don't you think the players are being put through too much of cricket?
"Let's not talk about it now. There has been a good rest after the World Cup. Two of our players also got married."

That summed up Gaekwad's media briefing after the first day at nets.

UNI