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'Our strength is our ability to learn'

Indore, March 30, 2001: Australia cricket coach John Buchanan was participating in his first chat, and he enjoyed it, answering questions about the Australian team, the Indian team and the ongoing series.

John Buchanan : Hello everybody. Looking forward to chatting with you. Please shoot.

lass : welcome to the guru of the world's best team. But sir, do u think ur team is slipping!!!!!!!!
John Buchanan : Firstly, I'm not the guru, but thank you for your impression. In regard to our team, no I don't think we are slipping. We have been confronted with an Indian team that has been better prepared and more committed than previously. this preparation has tested our physical, mental, tactical and technical skills which in the end while we were not successful in the test series will benefit us into the future.

RIDDLER : did u underestimate the Indian team?
John Buchanan : No, i do not believe so. What I did not prepare sufficiently for was firstly the subtle differences in spin-bowling and batting against spin from Australia to India. As a result we did not execute our batting skills as well as we should have against Harbhajan and nor did we understand how we should bowl spin to Indian batsmen who gain confidence at the crease. for example VVS Laxman.

stve : Whats with the rotation policy it doesnt make sense
John Buchanan : We have currently fifteen players who have been selected to play one-day cricket for Australia. The selectors, captain and coach believe all those players are capable of playing confidently and well at the international level. Therefore it is our approach to ensure all players have opportunities to present their skills on the playing field as often as possible. This means that we will continue to rotate our players to give everyone as much exposure to international one-day cricket as we can.

kangaroo : John, what do you feel is the greatest strength of your team?
John Buchanan : I hope the greatest strength of our team is the ability to grow and learn. If this is the case then our experiences here in India will do nothing but good for the development of individuals within the team and the team as a whole. Therefore, ask me this question again in nine months time and we shall see whether that is our greatest strength.

kangaroo : Which are the players in the Indian side were you not prepared against? Who surprised you during this tour?
John Buchanan : In the end I think it is obvious who were the two players most successful against Australia these being Laxman and Singh. Laxman we were aware of from his tour of Australia whereas Singh we were not as well informed as we would have liked to.

Shuja : Before coming to India there was a big talking about Aussies winning streak, in your point of view, what was the major reason Aussies losses of rubber un test matches
John Buchanan : I believe one person turned the second test around in India's favour and that was VVS Laxman. If it was not for his innings both in terms of amount of runs and the length of time he occupied the crease Australia would not have been forced to save the game ont he last day. So, in brief, I believe that this innings of Laxman was the major turning point in the series.

kangaroo : Shane Warne has not made an impact this time. What is the reason? Has the spare of controversies wherever he goes had some kind of impact on him?
John Buchanan : no, I don't think the controversiers have had significant impact on his performance here in India. I be;lieve the major reason why Shane or for that matter Colin Miller, Mark Waugh have not been as successful in the spinning department is due to firstly our understanding of how to bowl spin on Indian wickets and secondly to the great confidence boost that VVS Laxman gave the INdian side of the second innings of the second Test.

pinaaka : Dear Mr. Buchanan, Do you feel the absence of Stuart Macgill in Test ??
John Buchanan : Last season in Australia, Stuart played an integral role in our team's series win over the West Indies. He had this opportunity due to firstly Warne's injury and secondly due to his own form. He played particularly well through that series however the selectors preferred the experienced Shane Warne for the Indian tour. I cannot say with any certainty that if Shane Warne and/or Stuart MacGill were available in India whether that would have changed the complexion of the series.

krishnaa : Hi John, please answer this....Do you think your players were a bit overconfident of themselves and there was also a projected hype about the team's capabalities and this has led to the Aussie debacle ?Hi John, Do you think your players were a bit overconfident of themselves and there was also a projected hype about the team's capabalities and this has led to the Aussie debacle ?
John Buchanan : No, I dont believe we were over confident in our abilities although yes we were confident about how we would play the test series. I do agree with you that there was maybe too much hype before the test matches began but this did not influence the way we played.

Gemini : Hi John,I appreciate your candour.Do you admit that not playing michael bevan in tests is a mistake?What was your stand when his place oin the test team was discussed? /
John Buchanan : Michael's name was definitely discussed prior to coming to India. One of the difficulties for the selectors in modern day tours is that there is a reduced amount of games and time on tour. This means that it is difficult to carry extra players as they will not receive sufficient cricket compared to their own domestic program. In Michael's case, the balance of the side did not work in his favour.

RunOut : John, every team in the world goes through a re-construction phase after the team peaks with the experienced players and then the experienced cricketers are due for retirement. Australia is towards the end of a dual phase, after Birder, it is now the Waugh brothers (though it seems they still have some steam in them as of now). How has Australia planned to have the change of Phase?
John Buchanan : It is a very good point that you make. In fact when we return to Australia in early April, Steve Waugh and I, will be meeting the selectors to discuss this very point. We are aware that the test team is ageing and there needs to be a succession plan put into place hopefully from the beginning of the Ashes series.

hath : Mr JB, In the battle of the coaches, you lost to a Kiwi. HOw does that feel ???!!!
John Buchanan : I am full of praise for the efforts of John Wright as he has a very difficult task in bringing his 'Kiwi culture' and his cricketing knowledge to a foreign land. Good Luck to him in the future but not so much against AUstralia.

harish : John,Please answer this.Why do u think now in cricket nowadays fast bowlers have started to bowl bouncers to fsat bowlers when it wasn't earlier.No more a gentleman's game
John Buchanan : I am not so sure that fast bowlers never bowled fast bouncers to fast bowlers. However, whether this is true or not the game has changed as has our societies. Society, be it, Indian, Australian or whatever country you choose to nominate has or is being consumed by profiteering individualism; winner take all, attitudes and lifestyles. Cricket cannot divorce itself from the society it is a part of, so this is unfortunate but it is a reality. All we can do is to continue to champion such values as honesty, co-operation, trust, hardwork, the family and so on in an effort to show that our sportsmen/women in this case cricketers are trying to be different from the norm.

pranir : you were selected as coach because of yourtechnical wizadry.so how much this technolagyhas been helpful to you in coaching?
John Buchanan : I hope I was selected as coach for more than my , as you say, technical wizardy. Technology is only a tool to be utilised by coaches, players and hopefully umpires to assist in the analysis and feedback processes, from a particular match. Coaching therefore is far more than the use of technology. And i hope that I bring a range of other skills to the position.

cuteprasy : Hi john, Iam prasanna n my quest. for u is regd. the code of conduct of australian players in the ground.Players like Mcgrathshow more bodylanguages.Y cantthey control it??THe other day in 3rd test if am not wrong ,he bowled a bouncer to Sachin n as sachin left it without touching,he was showing actions of how to play hook.Hes trying to teach Sachin how to play hook shot!!!Ofcourz the master batsman as hez known for kept his cool n dint even minded it... expecting a good reply from u
John Buchanan : I think what you are talking about is a bigger issue than just Glen McGrath's confrontation with Sachin. It is more about the role of the visual media and its potrayal of what is a very tense, emotional and mentally testing atmosphere for all players in the middle of the arena. While certain players may shield their emotions from public view and others not, I believe that the players domain (the playing field)is being invaded too much by our visual technology. This can present certain players unfavourably or favourably to the viewing audience. It can also present situations to the viewing audience with a biased commentary. Therefore, I think this is potentially more harmful to the game than what is actually occurring on the field.

ballsr : John, in hindsight do u regret having kept Ponting on instead of Martyn for the final test
John Buchanan : No, the make-up of our side was discussed at length and the decision to include Ricky was based on our belief in his ability (which has not lessened) and the fact that it would be a very difficult situation for Damien MArtyn to be placed in not having batted in the previous Test.

arvindmohan : hi mr. buchanan, there have doubts in some quarters with regards to Warne being the best ever. your comments please.
John Buchanan : Just as we are priviledged to witness a great batsman like Sachin Tendulkar we are alos priveledged to watch a great leg-spinner like Shane Warne. Whether either at the end of their careers will be regarded as the best ever is only for history to determine.

daniel : John, i find it hard to understand that why should the aussies resort to sledging if they are the "Best Team" in the world. Shouldn't they be able to get players out based on their bowling skills not their verbal interludes.
John Buchanan : Sledging needs to be better defined.If sledging means attempting to unsettle an opposition player's mental skills then I am on in favour of sledging, if sledging means being immoral and unethical then I am against it. And I tell my players the same

johnnyboy : What are your predictions for the Ashes Tour? The Englishmen just might surprise you guys :)
John Buchanan : Very similar to the Indian tour, It will be quite tight as like the Indian team the Englishmen are growing in confidence with each series.

calcuttaprince : John why do you prefer to use the word 'performance manager' to 'coach'. What exactly do you mean to say when you draw the line between the two?
John Buchanan : Coach is a relatively old term which in cricket circles describes a person who spends time with individuals teaching them the basic skills fo batting, bowling and fielding. In my experience this is only but one part of the job. The major parts of the job involve creating an environment in which I can help develop the person first of all ie the person away from the cricket field; an environemnt which encourages the person to think for themselves; and in an environment which makes the 'coach' redundant. It si also an environment which develops team harmony, values and goals and directions. It is an environemnt which is not controlled by the coach but one which is engineered by him.

sray : Hi John, What is your opinion about Ganguly's batting failure so far in the series!
John Buchanan : He would obviously like to be scoring more runs, I believe to be under quite a deal of external pressures being captain only for a short time and having some personal issues which have clouded his role as captain. In addition I believe we have some basic plans to bowl to him which have been quite effective.

minkey : John, that was a crock. You seem to allude that "unsettle an opposition player's mental skills" and "being immoral and unethical" are mutually exclusive. While its plain for all to see the players often resort to the latter as a means to achieve the former and more.
John Buchanan : I see them as mutually exclusive that si why I presented the definition. If they are not mutually exclusive then I cannot agree that that approach be used to unsettle an opposition's mental skills.

kangaroo : JOHN, please don't leave without answering my question about rating yourself as a coach. Do this for the kangaroo :-) PLEASE...
John Buchanan : I don't like talking about myself. If you can supply an approriate rating scale I may think about it.

markwaugh : john,a big problem for ya tomorrow since mark waugh won't be there now.surely u'r team depends on mark waugh for getting big score in 1 day matches?.
John Buchanan : As I said earlier, we have a squad of fifteen who we believe, no matter what the final eleven, are very competitive. It was disappointing to lose Mark for the remainder of the tour however we believe other batsmen will fill the void.

daniel : Hi, John it is really nice to see Steve's captaincy. He seems so relaxed and confident that it instills confidence in his players. Do you think he is the major reason for aussies stupendous performance
John Buchanan : I believe Steve Waugh to be one of the games outstanding leaders both on and off the field. His leadership qualities are unmatched and as a result it has a major impact on the way the team plays.

Pritam : Australia is such a great team, but the behavior of some of its players is so arrogant and so brash( eg. slater), that the public like us do not respect it so much as such a good team deserves.Your comments please?
John Buchanan : I don't believe any of our players to be arrogant. They may have an inner arrogance which is confidence and self-belief. The incident you have referred to and have been referred to earlier are unfortunate and we all would prefer that they had not occurred.

kangarooo : Dear Mr. Buchanan, Do you expect any criticism when you get back to Australia following the Test defeat ??
John Buchanan : Yes, as the Australian public, media even our own organisation have high expectations from the team given our previous results.

vijay kumar M : Jhon What do u feel most important about a lost match ?
John Buchanan : What you can learn, what you can take in terms of positive results, and making sure that it is kept in perspective.

toughtugga : What do the aussie players do to recovering from a previous inning failure?
John Buchanan : We try to discuss both strengths and weaknesses of our previous innings and therefore what strategies we can use to improve in the next.

shivaji : Hi John, after seeing world's top class spinners(including Shane), how would you rate young Harbhajan ?
John Buchanan : He has obviously had an outstanding series. Like all shining lights it is how long and how bright the light keeps shining. That is what Harbhajan will need to deal with.

agnia : do you think that Brett Lee would have made a difference in the one-dayers??
John Buchanan : I think Bret Lee would have made a difference on the tour. Period.

Deepa : Why did you say Shane is not mentally fit? Did you have toface a lot of flak from the team?
John Buchanan : In relation to those comments I said that we were all mentally fatigued and that Shane ahd been mentally challenged during Laxman's innings.

girlgrace : JOHN DO YOU THINK INDIAN ATTACKLACKS A GOOD PACE FRONT
John Buchanan : No, on the contrary I think they ahve a very good pace attack with Srinath, Khan, Agarkar and back-up bowler Ashish Nehra and Mohanty.

aussiemate : John who do u rate he best batsmen in the world and why??
John Buchanan : I think it is a very difficult question to answer as batsmen find themselves in different circumstances ie opening batsmen versus top-order versus middle-order. In addition there are game conditions oppositions and state of matches that show different aspects of different players. The test of time is also a factor in the equation. But, to give you some peace of mind I rate Tendulkar, Steve Waugh very highly.

John Buchanan : Thank you all very much for your interest and the quality of your questions. This is my first time in a chatroom yet my children tell me a lot of the benefits of a chatroom but very little of thier conversations. I can now appreciate what a wonderful opportunity it is for me to atleast meet so many cricket admirers by way of technology. I am sorry I cannot continue our conversation as i need to go and prepare for tomorrow's game which I hope even without Mark Waugh and a good Aussie face, no sledging we will be victorious. Thank you all, thank you all again. Bye for now!

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