COLOMBO, AUG 27: Given the way the Indian team is performing, the question asked is: How long will Anshuman Gaekwad survive as the team coach?Gaekwad thinks he has not done all that badly, recounting the string of victories the team achieved at home when he was the coach. The loss to Zimbabwe and New Zealand are one of those things which ``happen in cricket.'' He is not willing to accept the fact that India did not do well in the World Cup.``I think the statistics show that we did well, though they were not reflected in the ultimate results,'' he says and picks fault with the format which allowed a team like Zimbabwe with no wins in the Super Six to go through to the semi-finals at the cost of a team like India which had beaten the ultimate finalist at the same stage of the tournament.When asked whether the accountability factor apply to the coach as well, especially when a captain has been removed, Gaekwad says: ``Yes, there should be accountability but I am not here on a holiday. I don't think Ihave done all that badly.''In short, he feels that in his tenure as a coach his team has done well.There may not be many takers for his optimistic view of things, but Gaekwad remains unfazed. When quizzed more about the state of Indian cricket and the gloomy showing here by the team, Gaekwad opens out a bit and makes some telling comments on the state of Indian cricket in general and also gives reasons for what he believes is a vicious circle and ``unless we break that circle, to expect India to produce outstanding results will not be right.''What is that vicious circle? Gakewad says one of the important factors in modern day game is fitness and enough time to correct the mistakes which creep into players' games. ``Without proper fitness, a team cannot achieve much, especially in one-dayers. One should have time to correct the flaws that develop while playing. Since we are playing so much international cricket these days, where is the time to work on the flaws? We all discuss what has gone wrong butto correct those wrongs the players need time in the nets which is not possible as one has to think of the immediate and that is the next game at hand.''``Fitness is something which one develops from younger days. Players from South Africa and Australia have played games like football and rugby in their younger days and they have the infrastructure and facilites to improve upon their fitness levels. Here, an international cricketer in the first place is not that fit and top of it he is playing so much that frequent breakdown is not surprising. Azharuddin had a shoulder problem, Sachin (Tendulkar) developed his back ailment, (Ajit) Agarkar has already had two breakdowns. Don't expect this list to stop. It will grow.''Another problem, he feels, is ``we can't experiment too much as everyone wants us to win and to win, our best team has to play. As a result, the players get little rest.''He points a finger at the root cause - neglect of the base. ``We have just a base of 20-odd players at the most andin the last few years we are rotating our selection among those only. That is because we don't have enough talent. Unless greater emphasis is laid upon the development of junior players and the domestic circuit, we are bound to find the going tough at the international level.''He then makes another point, a point which almost every player is making without the desired effect on the board. The point is that India's top players should play in domestic cricket.``Only when top players play in domestic circuit it will become more competitive and help youngsters to improve their skills.'' But won't that mean cutting down on India's international calendar, something the Indian board does not seem to be willing to do?``I am not saying cut down too much but the calendar can be drawn in a manner that there is free time for the players to play in at least a few matches,'' he says.`Not in the fitness of thingsIndia's latest outings in Sri Lanka reveals that the players have given little thought totheir fitness in the two months' post-World Cup lull from cricket.Such is their lack of match-fitness and competitive zeal, that Gaekwad opined: ``This does not look the same team which played in the World Cup.''The Indian coach added, ``Ideally, there should be at least a month's training camp before the season starts. Look at the Sri Lankans. They are so sharp and agile on the field. The reason is that they have had a month's camp before the commencement of this tournament.''Doesn't the team feel the lack of a proper trainer ? ``Yes, they do. I think we will have a trainer soon. We need someone who can command the boys and not someone very young.''The reference to `young' obviously meant Andrew Kokinos, whose contract was not renewed by the Indian board after the World Cup.
