Yuvraj should bowl a lot more

To lose a match that you should have won can be pretty soul-destroying, and I would think India's bowlers would be particularly demoralised at the manner in which they brought England to the brink of defeat, only to let them off the hook.

The cardinal rule of any sport is to not allow a fallen opponent to rise, and India broke it mainly owing to a lack of finishing skills. Had I been in Dravid's position, I would have continued with the seamers instead of allowing the spinners to bowl extensively.

But I feel for Dravid. He isn't a bad captain, and it is unfair to blame him for India's recent string of poor ODI performances. A general can only be as good as his troops, and the sad truth is that Dravid, who to begin with is not a born leader of men as Sourav Ganguly was, is further hampered by the scantiness of the resources at his disposal.

Nothing that I have seen of India in this NatWest Series has given me reason to believe that they are going forward. The old failings - poor fielding, lack of athleticism and fitness, lack of mental toughness - are still very evident, and I have to reiterate what I have said many times in the past - stop treating a player like a star after only a couple of good performances.

The adulation, and the money, can go to their heads, and make them forget that they are here for a purpose - to replace three of the world's greatest batsmen, and one of its champion bowlers. I refer, of course, to the Sachin-Sourav-Rahul trio, and Anil Kumble.

Tired legs

For the past decade, the big three of Indian batting have carried the team forward. Now, as the tired legs seek rest, where's the next batting or bowling sensation coming from? And that's only one part of the story. What India really need to do is develop dual-purpose players, a term that I prefer to all-rounders.

England have Flintoff, Bopara and Collingwood, players who lengthen the batting and strengthen the bowling. India have a potential dual-purpose player in Yuvraj Singh, and are wasting him. He's smart and aggressive, and should be bowling all the time, but he does so only occasionally, as much (or little) as Sachin Tendulkar.