Stewart said: Fletcher is perfect for India

Former England captain, Alec Stewart, said on Wednesday that Duncan Fletcher was the best man to coach India as he was an excellent planner and analyst.

Stewart also urges India to be patient with the Zimbabwean.

"England is now reaping the plunder of Duncan's efforts. He chalked the future for English cricket and today, we are here because of his planning," Stewart told the Times of India in a honest chat.

"Allow Duncan to do what he did in England. Don't come in his way. Assist him, and you are bound to get an optimistic result. He has an eye for talent. Let Duncan see some of the domestic tournaments and I am sure it won't be rough for him to spot the best likely talent for the vacant slots," he stressed.

Stewart recall how former England batsmen, like Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, bloom under Fletcher's guidance. "He is the one who marked Vaughan and Trescothick first and told the selectors that they were going to play for England one day."

On the Indian players, Stewart said: "Duncan has spoken highly about Ravindra Jadeja and said that the youngster has a great future. Mind it; Duncan had seen Jadeja only in the nets and nowhere else. That is the kind of coach he is.

"You really can't judge Fletcher after India's poor performance in England. The Indian team didn't have some top players due to injury. I did expect India to lose the Test series because they didn't have enough training. But the way they lost was shocking."

Non-stop cricket, Stewart harassed, was one of the main reasons for India's disaster. "You can't blame the players for this beat either," he said.

"They played the World Cup, won it, took part in the IPL and then went to the West Indies before surrendering before England. They were tired and some of them had niggles."

Stewart emphasizes the role of injury administration in having a fit squad.

"Injuries are part of sport, but the best teams are the ones who can handle injury with caution," he noted.

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Stewart: Clean sweep up on the cards

Alec Stewart won't be astonished if the home team records a clean sweep over India in the ongoing ODI series.

"India may have begin the series as slight favorites but I wouldn't be astonished if England finish off the season with a clean sweep in all forms of the game and add this award to the growing collection," Stewart said.

In the first ODI of the five-match series last weekend, India were in the driver’s seat with England, chasing a competitive 275-run target, were totter at 27 for two before heavy showers required the match to be called off.

But Stewart was of the view that the weather conditions intervene far too early during England's innings for serious talk about the hosts being 'saved by the rain'.

"This England side has it in them to go up again after such early reverse," he said.

"After the 4-0 thrashing of India in the Test series followed by the one-off T20 victory last week, England will want to show they are also making good development in the 50-over game which for so long has be their Achilles heel," the former wicket-keeper added.

Stewart, however, has no misgivings that to record a clean sweep, England will have to play out of their skin against the the world champion Indian side.

"As England march on towards world cricket preeminence they will be severely tested by India, the current World Cup holders, all through these One Day Internationals," he wrote in his column for 'Daily Mirror'.

He insisted that having never won the World Cup, England will be desperate to break the jinx in the 2015 edition of the tournament to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

"Captain Alastair Cook is fully aware that if these groups of players want to be bracketed alongside the truly great West Indian and Australian teams of recent times then they must become more reliable in ODIs and learn what it takes to win in all conditions," Stewart said.

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