After the ICC Champions Trophy in Colombo last year, coach John Wright was probably the only man in the Indian dressing room who wasn't celebrating the team's good showing.
With just a single defeat in 12 one-day internationals before the series against the West Indies, the Indian team was on a high.
"I don't think we should get very carried away with that," he had said in an interview to rediff.com.
But after losing the one-day home series to the West Indies and then being mauled by New Zealand, the Indian one-day squad suddenly seemed rather ordinary and uninspired. John Wright was vindicated.
The dismal showing was blamed on 'too much experimentation'.
On the eve of the World Cup, Wright shares his thoughts on the twin disasters with Faisal Shariff, and analyses India's chances at the tournament.
Defeat in the last two series has pushed your team back on the eve of the World Cup. Your thoughts.
It was a close series in New Zealand; it could have gone either way. Some of our players were rested; some we had to give a look-in before the World Cup. The last two series did not solve as much as we would have liked. Some players got an opportunity; some didn't.
The West Indies played very well in that series. The wickets were very flat. I don't think we started with the hunger to win, which we had shown in the past. We were always coming from behind in the series. We got it to 3-3 and I think the boys played very well with Dravid leading the side in Jaipur. Marlon Samuels played a great knock. We were on top at that stage and he came in and did his stuff. It's a tragedy that he isn't going to the World Cup. Of all the West Indian players to come out of the series he looked an outstanding prospect. A real quality player.
The New Zealand tour was unfortunate. There were a couple of factors: we did not fight as well as we should have. We were playing in tough conditions. I feel that the pitches we were given were not up to international standards.
The most disappointing part of the tour was the fact that we did not fight as hard as we could have. The World Cup squad was picked after two games and it was tough on people like VVS Laxman and Rakesh Patel. Both are quality players and will be involved in future one-day teams.
We lost a little ground in New Zealand. It was a hard series, because the conditions we played in were unique. I have not seen them in any part of the world.
You think the New Zealand tour was a kick up the backsides for the Indians after a great 2002?
It's better that those lessons were found out harshly before than during the World Cup. We got some realism back into the expectations of everyone. No one enjoys losing but we must get ourselves into a position where we perform in South Africa.
You were circumspect about India's chances at the World Cup even before the series against the West Indies and New Zealand...
You can go from being hero to zero really quickly, especially when there is a very passionate environment. You have to keep your perspective. I know this team is a good team when it plays with courage and passion. I have seen quite a lot of those words splashed around various television screens during the last week here. You have to live up to those expectations, individually and as a team.
Do you reckon we experimented too much in the 14 one-dayers against the West Indies and New Zealand?
There were a couple of issues. We had some players, like Sanjay Bangar, L Balaji and Reetinder Singh Sodhi, who were vying for a position. During the West Indies series, without Tendulkar, you had to look at some players; Ajit Agarkar was tried at number three, twice.
There might be some valid points in the criticism of our experimentation, but you won't find things out unless you try. For example, would Virender Sehwag be opening the batting if we hadn't tried him out in Sri Lanka [in 2001]? Some things work, some don't!
Dravid's keeping was another issue. He had some good games and some bad games. It enabled us to be a bit stronger in the batting.
In New Zealand, we were not experimenting but rearranging the batting order in order to win games. Dravid was best equipped, technically, to bat at number three. Ganguly was not doing well and was keen on batting lower down in the order. When you are losing, and we were losing, you have to try and stop that losing cycle.
That is one of the areas where in the last 14 games we didn't get as settled as we had been for various reasons: sometimes injuries, selections and some times experimenting. We were pretty settled throughout the England tour and the ICC Champions Trophy. You make changes even when you are winning and it does not attract the same kind of interest that it does when you lose.
Going into the World Cup with Tendulkar, Ganguly and Mohammad Kaif woefully out of form, as a coach, does it worry you?
I always thought that class is permanent and form is temporary. The series in New Zealand was unfortunate for batsmen; none them got any runs. So it was an unfortunate build-up for both sides going into the World Cup. I still back the class of these players and I think it is permanent. I am sure that the way we have structured our time in Durban, the boys will have time to hit a lot of balls in practice whenever they want and for as long as they like. They will stay out in the open for as long as they like and get back into form, and also get a bit of sun on their backs. They can feel the ball in the middle of the bat and get happy and excited about playing in the biggest competition on the world stage.
I feel that people like Tendulkar and Ganguly are champions and the stage is perfect for them to display their skills. We have to be positive in our build-up.
How far will India go?
If we can get our way to the Super Sixes, the confidence we will gain by getting out of the group will make us very formidable. So that must be our first target and we must look at it game by game. We must also take the pressure of our boys by not looking too far ahead. Winning the World Cup is simple; it's about winning every game. [Laughs]
The fielding seems to have come off in New Zealand...
In Napier, we fielded very badly. I just couldn't understand that. It's all about caring and showing passion and giving for your team. We have got those standards up. It will be difficult to make Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble the greatest fielders in the world. Everyone on the team has a responsibility to do the best they can. The fielding will be very critical.
Do you think this World Cup is for the specialists and not the all-rounders?
No point picking an all-rounder if he is not good with the bat-ball. You must pick people who contribute at the international level and who are good with bat and ball. They have to be very good at one of the two or else give me a specialist any day. But everyone must be able to field. Those days are gone when you could get away with it.
What will be the trend in this World Cup?
I think the batsmen coming in early will hold the key. The openers and the number three batsman will hold the key to the tournament. The ball will bounce a lot and if you are one wicket down after 20-25 overs then you will make a lot of runs.
Barry Richards said that playing on the up would be a no-no on South African wickets. Are there any dos and don'ts for your batsmen?
You should look to hit down the ground and look to play straight. If you get the short and wide delivery just put it away. But the key is to find out what is a good score on the wicket and adjust your game accordingly, then get that in place and then go for more. In New Zealand we failed to do that. We knew that if we got 160-170 by just batting out the 50 overs we would win. But we failed to do that.
I have seen the boys play in South Africa. In Johannesburg, when Ganguly and Tendulkar played for the first time on the last tour, they got a partnership of 200. I know these guys can bat in South Africa.
You said that the top three batsmen would hold the key in South Africa. Does that argue Tendulkar returning to the top slot or at number three?
We will look at that. It is important that Tendulkar feels happy where he bats. That is very important and key to us. We will talk about that and he will be given that opportunity, because if he plays well the team plays well. I am sure he will have a very good tournament and he is the greatest batsman in the world.
How will psychologist Sandy Gordon help the team?
He talked to the boys in England and he has worked for the Australian team. He is a very well-qualified professional and speaks a lot of commonsense. The boys responded very well to the session. I am very impressed with him. Sometimes it is nice to hear a different voice. He will contribute.
Have you been offered to coach New Zealand after the World Cup?
I completely refute the news. There has been absolutely no offer to coach the New Zealand team.
You still wish to continue with India?
From my point of view this is a big World Cup for everyone. I will assess things after the World Cup as will the BCCI. At this stage I am not really looking forward to anything. At the end of the World Cup I will assess my future.
You still haven't finished your job of winning a series overseas?
That is still a challenge that needs to be achieved and should have been achieved by now. The World Cup is a big tournament.
Skipper Ganguly and you don't seem to be on the same wavelength?
At the end of the day you feed information to the captain, but it's the captain who makes the decision on the field. Whoever the captain is, you have to back him to the hilt. There will be times when he will agree and times when he won't. The captain needs to have the freedom to make his own choice and have no regrets. It is very important. Captains are in charge of the team; coaches help cricket teams!
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