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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ECB not troubled over Flower future

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier is not worried by the possibility of losing team director Andy Flower to another country.

The Zimbabwean has help turn England into the number one ranked Test side in the world this summer and is a highly rated approximately the world.

Flower turned down a move toward to take over as India coach before they selected Duncan Fletcher and Collier is securing him is committed to England.

"I think Andy made his place very clear when the Indian situation happened," he said on Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

"I think he is very established in England and long may that continue. I think the whole of the backroom team is (very important).

"We've urbanized a arrangement over five to 10 years now that has not only delivered plans but has leapfrogged countries in the world and we want to keep that team together."

Collier exposed the ECB were set to sign a new sponsorship deal.

"We're in final deliberations regarding a long-term relationship with new sponsors," he said. "We will be making an statement in the not too far-away future."

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden claim England's ascent to the best in the world was down to reliability.

"In my career there was a lot of irregularity (in the England team), both in performance and also selection," he said.

"There were so many players coming in and out of the side it was really a turnstile into the English dressing room, but now it's very dissimilar."

He also had chosen out Ian Bell, who scored 235 in the fourth Test with India at The Oval, for special praise.

"Ian Bell has always been a very technically sound player and he’s now dominating Test cricket simply because technically he's sound, emotionally he's grown up, his physical attribute are very good and he's relishing the hard work."

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Fletcher mourn loss of Zaheer

India coach Duncan Fletcher feel the wound to pacer Zaheer Khan cost India the opportunity of "having a very good day" in the opening Test against England at Lord's.

Khan was easily India's best bowler at Lord's on Thursday before he went to hospital for a scan on his left leg. He took both wickets as England reached 127/2 before rain ensured just over half the listed 90 overs were bowled on the first day.

"He showed he's almost certainly the bowler we miss the most," Fletcher said. "Probably, the others lacked experience. He going off was a big miss. From our point of view, I think maybe we would have been happy with three wickets. I think if he had stayed there and got three or four, we would have broken up having a very good day."

Before limping off the field halfway through the 42nd over, Khan proved penetrating and miserly, footage figures of 2-18.

He trapped Alastair Cook lbw in the morning session and then dupe England captain Andrew Strauss into a skin complaint pull that was caught by Ishant Sharma at fine leg shortly after lunch.

"He's almost certainly the one that could have got us three or four wickets, so he was quite a loss at that stage," Fletcher said.

India's other bowlers proved notably less threatening, however, and while Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh were perhaps unlucky not to claim wickets, Sharma was inconsistent and failed to pressurise batsmen.

Fletcher argues they still bowled rationally well.

"It was hard for our bowlers to get used to the swing," he said. "I still think we bowled pretty well, but they need to get their lines right."

England's Jonathan Trott lived dangerously on his way to 58 not out. Having been drop by Dravid at first slip off Harbhajan, he then edged a delivery from Khan between wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dravid.

He said: "I think they were two very hard chances," Fletcher said. "I think on another day one might have been taken, but they were very hard chances and we've seen that happen at Lord's on numerous occasions."

He also protected his players against suggestion they lacked intensity in the field.

"Not at all. I consideration those players were really up for the game," he said. "They wanted to play at Lord's and give it their best shot. Those players have just had three hard Test matches in the West Indies.

"It's not just a question of coming over here and getting used to the conditions. We've seen players play a whole Test series and move violently in the field," said Fletcher.

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"Feels extraordinary to be back in England"

India coach Duncan Fletcher told it feels odd to return to England with the blame to plot their downfall.

Fletcher was caoch of England from 1999 to 2007 and was chosen the Indian coach earlier this year.

"It's odd for me. I never consideration I'd be back in this role. When I left England I thought I wouldn't get (back) concerned with cricket. But having worked (as a consultant) with South Africa, New Zealand a bit and Hampshire to some degree - I sort of got the bug again," Fletcher was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

"It does seem a little bit odd coming over here. But I have enjoyed working with India, who I think had quite a good tour of West Indies. It's going to be a thrilling series. To be concerned with a top side and in a thrilling series is quite a challenge," he said.

During his term as the England coach, Fletcher had worked with some of the members of the current crop, particularly captain Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and pace spearhead James Anderson.

"The team has distorted quite a lot. There is a pair of senior players that I know something about but the rest of the team has changed. We'll have to look at the tapes, look at the technique that certain players have got, we'll have to assess that over the next couple of days," he said.

Asked if he thought England is a better side now, Fletcher said: "It's difficult to assess what is a better side - or (what is) the best side in the world. If you want to look at the statistics, then you'd have to say India is (the best side in the world). England has absolutely improved under Straussy and Andy Flower. They have done a really good job receiving that side back on track."

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