'Everyone thinks this team is better than they actually are'

Sandy Gordon, the sport psychologist whose inputs played a big part in India's run to the World Cup final two years ago, has blamed the unreasonable burden of expectation for the team's failure to fulfil its potential. Talking to The Indian Express, Gordon said, "The problem is that everyone thinks that this team is better than they actually are. It is not a realistic approach."

Gordon qualified that remark by pointing out what is still unpalatable truth for most Indian fans. "This team has not won anything; for me it is a generation lost," he said. "This team cannot sustain pressure, every time they have to go for the kill they fail. They are talented but they aren't so good." And according to him, the weakness was easily apparent. "Work ethic," he said. "It is just not there. And it is not a team thing, it's an individual thing to be consistent."

Gordon blamed mental frailty rather than technical glitches for the team's failure to close out games. "They haven't lost their ability to bat or bowl. The only way to win games is to execute the individual as well and the team game as planned."

Conventional wisdom has suggested that Sourav Ganguly's travails with the bat had impacted on the team's performance, but Gordon was not inclined to agree. "I think that's an excuse really. Look at the way the Australian team covered up for Mark Taylor when he was out of form. This Indian team has a lot of leaders, it is just a matter of the other players stepping up to the plate."

With John Wright, who first sought Gordon out when the team was struggling, on his way out, Gordon believed that the next manager will need to have a better support system in place. "John Wright has appealed several times to the BCCI for a full time manager since 2002, but it's fallen on deaf ears," he said. "This team needs a full-time manager who can manage the team and let the coach just work on taking the team to the next level."

After a season that encompassed a demoralising home defeat to Australian and a disappointing draw against a weakened Pakistan side, Gordon suggested that the best way to revitalise ahead of new challenges was to shut out cricket and relax. "There could be the temptation to go back to the nets and the gym but I believe that mentally it could harm them," he said. "They should instead look to ease their way back into the system as the season nears and recharge their batteries."

That particular view is shared by Greg Chappell, one of the named mentioned as India's future coach. "Going into the nets would be the worst thing that the guys could do during the off season," said Chappell. "They should do everything that keeps their mind off the game so they can come back fresh."