Date:21/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/21/stories/2006062104982100.htm

Sport - Cricket

Chappell impressed with players' resilience

Special Correspondent

Basseterre: Team India resumed practice on Monday after a four-day break for `rest and relaxation'. A three-hour session comprising warm-up, a spot of multiple high catches, and full-blown nets later, coach Greg Chappell spoke to newsmen on subjects besides Australian football ("they seemed to move the ball well against Brazil, they just couldn't get the damn thing in the net").

Excerpts:

On the break: Four Tests in a row without a break could be very tough. So I think mentally it has been good for the guys and physically as well, some of the boys were a bit flat after two Tests in succession.

On the side coping with the long tour: I think they have coped very well. I have been impressed with their resilience. After the one-dayers, it could have been very easy for us to go down. The boys could have found all sorts of reasons for why life wasn't what they wanted. Particularly after struggling in the first two days of the first Test match, to come from back from that shows some real resilience.

On not playing five bowlers: We thought Veeru was a good bowler, that's five bowlers. The thing is to fit an extra bowler in, you have to give up other things, so it is about getting the right balance for the game. In different countries, you will go in with different combinations. We felt on those tracks, making big scores was our best chance to put pressure on the opposition and we made big scores.

On whether India could have done more to win the two Tests: Not much, I don't think. Talking to Brian Lara the other night, he said it was a very flat wicket on the last day, he thought that our bowlers, under the circumstances, did everything they could have done.

On who will man the fast-medium department: I think it's very even, to be honest, and I don't think it is going to be much different from which one of them plays. I think V.R.V. Singh has done a very good job for a young boy in his first two Test matches on wickets that haven't been very helpful to the bowlers.

On injury concerns: Sreesanth got through a good session today and looks like he is going okay. We will see how he pulls up tomorrow, he will have another session then. Harbhajan has been pretty well fit since midway through the last Test. He recovered quite quickly from what seemed to be a freak injury, so hopefully he will be fine tomorrow as well.

On Brian Lara: It took a special innings from him the other day to stop us from winning. Not many players would have been able to sum up the conditions, summon up the mental energy to play an innings like that. He is probably in the twilight of his career, but he still has the capacity to play an innings of some quality. We won't rest easy until the series is finished.