Lack of preparation, not fitness, responsible for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s defeats: John Gloster – Cricket News Update
John Gloster, former India team physio, has pointed out that the recent string of defeats suffered by the Indian team may owe more to lack of preparation, as opposed to poor fitness.
“I think that with so much cricket being played round the year, the players need to relieve mental strain more than their physical strain - which they are unable to do” Gloster told
Mid-Day. “They need to take more breaks to spend some quality time with their families.”
India started their jam-packed season with a tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749 in July 2011 to play the Pataudi Trophy (a Test series which India lost 0-4) and a single T20I which the Men in Blue also lost by 6 wickets.
This was followed up with another series against England in October 2011, in which India played hosts. The home conditions favoured the Men In Blue and they claimed a 5-0 clean sweep of the ODI series.
They were triumphant, yet again, on home soil, as they hosted the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 in November 2011, and claimed a 2-0 (3) Test win against the visitors from the Caribbean.
However, things took a downward turn with their tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a series of 4 Test matches played in December 2011/January 2012, culminated in a humiliating 0-4 whitewash for the visitors as they struggled to keep pace with
their hosts.
The Commonwealth Bank series, a triangular tournament between Australia, India, and Sri Lanka followed in February this year, and the Indian team’s performances continued to drop. The Men In Blue spent most of the series at the bottom of the points table,
and won only 3 of the 8 matches they played. Their last match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 at Hobart culminated in a 7-wicket win, but it was not enough to take them into the series finals.
“It's a very difficult tour, and one needs to be well prepared. I think that fitness was not such a big issue, but it was the preparation,” Gloster said, referring to the CB series Down Under.
The Asia Cup followed soon after, in March 2012, and marked the lowest of India’s performances so far – they lost to underdogs http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 in a humiliating 5-wicket defeat, and were unable to make it to the Asia Cup final.
However, despite the multitude of defeats, the national team also had some bright moments, including a glorious 6-wicket win against arch rivals http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 on March 18 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
The Men In Blue have an upcoming T20I against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Twenty20 tournament begins in Sri Lanka this September.
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