It's great to work with Flintoff, Flower says

Andy Flower is unquestionably the most successful of the contemporary batsmen to have played the Indian spinners with distinction. Now he is in charge of the England batsmen. And he is quite impressed with the way Andrew Flintoff bats. The following is excerpts of an interview with Flower.

You have been quite successful against India. What are the basics required in a batsman to be successful against spin?

Well, there is no definite way to counter spin. It depends upon the individuals. Flintoff can't use the same sort of method that Bopara or Bell can. He is a big and strong player. For physical reasons, too, his approach is different.

What are the strengths of Andrew Flintoff, the batsman?

That he can hit down the ground and he can hit it big. Although he is big, I think he is more skilful than his body suggests.

What was your idea about him before you took up the job?

A completely different one. But when I studied him closely, I was really impressed by his skills.

What are those reasons that forced you to be impressed about Flintoff?

See, for a batsman, it is most important to pick the length early. Then, he has to play according to the merit of the ball, as well as according to the situation the team is in. Thirdly, you need to understand your own game. Andrew is excellent in all three parts.

How did you enjoy working with him?

It's really an enjoyable experience. He is serious about his batting. He works hard. He uses his power intelligently and wears a thinking cap, It's great to work with such a beautiful person.

He had batted well in the first two one dayers in India, too.

And he has been doing it since the series against South Africa. I saw an important development there, to try and place the ball in gaps. You cannot get boundaries always. Then you have to look for the gaps and he was trying to do so in that series. And he is carrying his good work here. Although in the first two matches we could not do well, yet, we have not lost all hope.

But playing well against South Africa and playing well in India are completely different propositions.

I know that. Here, if you need to be successful, you have to play spin well. And Andrew had played quite well in his previous tours. So, there is every possibility, he will make it bigger this time in the remaining matches.

You had always countered spin by sweeping a lot. Do you think Flintoff, too, needs to sweep?

Again, it depends upon the individual. He needs to decide what's good for him.