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India were really disappointing

So where now is the Australian one-day team, compared to where it was back last June, when we were crowned world champions?

In comparing the current Australian one-day team with the one that won the World Cup, the one area in which we are undoubtedly better is fielding. Not that the World Cup team was a bad fielding side - far from it - but the infusion of Andrew Symonds, especially, has taken the present team to a new level. Against this, the current side hasn't yet been tested under the type of intense pressure the World Cup team encountered during that tournament. So to say one team is better than the other it's probably too early to judge.

One other difference between these two sides is, of course, we now have a new coach. There is no doubt that new coach John Buchanan has had a positive impact on the side, but I believe it would be unfair to give him all the credit for the way the current team is playing. Many aspects of the way we go about things were in place before he came along, so our previous coach, Geoff Marsh, should take some of the glory, too. But we have been grateful for the manner in which John leaves absolutely no stone unturned in his quest for us to perform at our very best. He is extraordinarily meticulous and attentive during a match, forever noting all sorts of things that might be useful in analysing how we performed, or where we might improve.

Like Geoff Marsh, John is a coach who stresses that Australian cricketers have to be their own men, and play in the manner that got them into the team in the first place. He is also keen, as was Geoff, to get all the players involved in developing overall game plans and specific strategies to counter opposition players. And he's very clever with his 'quiet words' to individual players, to make them always feel an important part of what is going on, and best able to perform to the best of their ability.

Our confidence was a feature of the Australian summer, whereas often our opponents seemed unsure of their ability. India, especially, were disappointing. Much more was expected of them by the Australian public, the Australian team, and, I imagine, themselves than what was eventually delivered. Throughout the one-day series, they lacked players who would consistently take the fight to the opposition. Perhaps I should exclude Sourav Ganguly from such an assessment, for he was a standout, having a reasonable series with the bat and making a couple of hundreds.

I thought Sachin Tendulkar was mentally gone on this tour from as early as by the time the third Test began. He looked out of sorts in that Test match and I remember predicting at our team meeting prior to the one-day series that I didn't think he'd score too many runs in the tournament. To me, it looked as if he was struggling under the pressure he and his team were under, and under the colossal expectations he always carries with him, and by series-end was reduced to the same level as we mere mortals.

Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, started to find some form towards the end of the one-dayers. To his great credit, he worked hard on his game throughout the summer, but perhaps he tried a little too hard earlier on. It would not surprise me if he uses the experience of this Australian tour to become an even better international cricketer than the very good player he was before the season began.

Elsewhere, I felt that Robin Singh had a reasonable one-day series, scoring some runs in the middle order, taking some wickets and fielding pretty well, too. But otherwise, the positives were thin. Bowling-wise, I don't think any of the Indian bowlers really stood out during the tournament. Certainly, no one could say that they had a significant impact on the outcome of many of the games. I believe that Sunil Joshi should have played more games for India. He's looked a really good prospect during the times I've seen him before this tour, and again when we came up against him in Perth. He is a promising bowler who will play a part in India's future.

The greatest contrast between Australia and India during the summer was in the areas of fielding and running between wickets. We have made a deliberate decision to always select as good a fielding side as we can, and perhaps this is one area India could look at in the future. They need to be able to select guys who can field to a set standard. At the moment, this isn't happening.

Excellent fielding makes a huge difference in modern one-day cricket. If there is a weakness in the field, the strongest sides will hone in on that weakness unmercifully, putting great pressure on the men in the field who you know are going to crack. Elsewhere, perhaps the biggest problem facing India is the lack of promising batsmen coming up. Unfortunately, no-one made an impact on this Aussie tour. V V S Laxman had his one moment of glory in the Sydney Test, but failed in the one-dayers. Devang Gandhi was starved of opportunities but struggled when he was given a chance.

To keep up in one-day international cricket in the 21st century, I believe India must also be on the lookout for all-rounders. Players such as Lance Klusener, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock from South Africa, and Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Shane Lee from Australia are proving themselves invaluable. In reality, India at present haven't got anyone who can match them. As for Pakistan, by the end of this series, we felt as if we'd almost crushed the life out of them. They played in the second final like a team keener to get home than compete, which was disappointing in one sense, but gratifying for us because it meant we'd achieved what we set out to do. And it reflected the dominant way we played, especially in the finals.

Like India, they have some work to do, especially in connection with their running between wickets, their fielding and the inability of some of their batsmen to come to grips with bouncy Australian wickets.

Australia, in the meantime, head off to New Zealand. We have set ourselves very high standards throughout the summer, and I can assure you we will be trying our utmost to at least keep these standards up, if not improve on them, against Stephen Fleming and his men.

Gameplan

Steve Waugh