Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has questioned the
fitness level of Indians and also criticised the visiting team for their
"shabby" warm-up routines.
 Flintoff has questioned the fitness level of Indians and also criticised the visiting team for their "shabby" warm-up routines. © AFP |
India, which is hoping to salvage some pride and avoid a humiliating
whitewash, has been ravaged by the injuries to it's key players and has
not looked its usual self in the tournament so far.
The former Test cricketer, who was forced to cut short his
international carrier due to a recurring ankle injury said, "England
looked by far the fitter team, joking that some of the India players
were 'popping out of their shirts'."
The cricketer drew a stark contrast between the two teams as they
warmed up for the first day's play of the fourth and final Test of the
series at The Oval.
"I've not seen much of the summer, and this morning I watched the two sides warming up," he said.
"I saw India, and they looked like they'd got their kit out of the
garage. They were all in different gear. England looked really
professional next to them. They just looked poles apart," he told BBC Test Match Special.
Flintoff said he felt sorry for his former England coach Duncan
Fletcher, who took over the India job in June after Gary Kirsten
declined to extend his contract citing personal reasons.
"Watching the slip catching practise, you had England on one side diving around, the ball fizzing through," he said.
"I used to do it with Duncan Fletcher. I bet you he's tearing his
hair out. They were clapping everything down: the keeper was missing
them, the slips were dropping them. It just looked shabby," Flintoff
added.
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