Mike Gatting

London: Former captain Mike Gatting, who is now part of the England and Wales Cricket Board, spoke to The Telegraph on Wednesday afternoon.

An Ashes winner, in 1986-87, Gatting is now 54.

The following are excerpts

Q Surprised by India’s show in the series...

A Yes, but the fact is that England have played the best that I’ve seen, both with bat and ball... Even when somebody has got injured, like Chris Tremlett, then a Tim Bresnan has come along to fill-in adequately.

But the wickets have helped, haven’t they?

They have, particularly the one at Trent Bridge. Still, as I’ve told you, India came under-prepared. In the past, we’d fallen for the same trap on tours to Australia. We didn’t, in the last Ashes, and the result is known to everybody. India should have realised that England were playing well and hungry to take the No.1 ranking... The No.1 team needed to be well prepared for the No.1 challenger.

India suffered heavily on the very first day of the series, at Lord’s, when Zaheer Khan went off after bowling just 13.3 overs. It’s tough to overcome such a loss, surely?

But, surely, you can’t have one player taking on England. Zaheer is an important member, yes, but there are others who could have put their hand up and helped (the team). England lost Tremlett, but Bresnan stepped in so well.

Today, how do you look back on India’s performance, or the lack of it?

To talk of the bowling, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar have looked tired... I believe they did a lot of bowling in the West Indies, just before arriving in England... As for the batting, except Rahul Dravid, nobody has got his act together. England, on the other hand, bat deep and bat well.

Duncan Fletcher was expected to make a huge difference...

(Interrupting, almost) But Fletcher has only just come in... He can tell the batsmen how to play, but they’ve got to do so themselves... Out in the middle, they’ve got to do it on their own.

England’s intensity has been enviable. When did you last see it with this degree of consistency?

It would come and go in the last 10-15 years... England would beat the best team and, then, lose to a team they had no business losing to... Today, England is playing as a unit, aware the back-up is adequate.

What has made the difference?

Some very good players and depth... The role played by Andrew Strauss, the captain, and (team director) Andy Flower has been significant.

The No.1 challenge for England...

The bigger challenge always is to stay at the top... The big test will be at home next summer, when we host South Africa... Before that we’ll be touring Sri Lanka and we’re also supposed to play Pakistan in the Gulf... We’ll have to do well in all conditions. The No.1 team must have the ability to deliver everywhere.

Can India get back to No.1?

Before that, India must find bowlers... Then, in the batting department, you shouldn’t have a situation where Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman all go at about the same time... India must rebuild, so to say, over the next two-three years.

Thoughts on Sachin?

Sachin’s a great and he’ll know when to retire... Indeed, it won’t be for you or me to tell him when to go.

You’ve mentioned the role played by Strauss... How do you rate him as captain?

Look, a captain needs a good team and Strauss has that... A good team makes a good captain... That Strauss gels with Flower makes it easier for him... They have a common goal, don’t compete with each other, share values and are very clear about what they want from the players. It’s a united force and it’s driving England’s cricket. Strauss has seen Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan captain and he’s learnt what is the best way forward for him.

What are your impressions of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain?

A captain wants his batsmen to bat well, his bowlers to bowl well and for his fielders to take the catches... Even Dravid dropped a couple in a single day at Edgbaston... It’s not easy if the team isn’t doing well... Dhoni has lost two aces in his pack, Zaheer and Harbhajan Singh... When the aces go, then you do get exposed.

Should you meet Dhoni, what would you tell him?

Look at what good teams need to have.

Your message to Strauss...

(Laughs) Keep enjoying it.

This series has seen such handsome crowds. Test cricket is alive and kicking in England, isn’t it?

We promote Test cricket... We push it, as we believe that’s the right way forward... Of course, the 50-over game is there and T20 is great for its audience, but Test cricket remains the pinnacle. We want crowds to come... Test cricket is called that because it’s the real test. England have, more often than not, played good cricket since the Ashes win (at home) in 2005.

Some questions on captaincy... Who, for you, is a good captain?

A good captain needs a good team... If you had Clive Lloyd captaining the present West Indies team, I suspect he wouldn’t have won many matches. So... Mike Brearley wasn’t the best player in the team when he became captain, but he led so well... He was able to get the best out of his players... Man management, therefore, is essential... The ability to communicate is as important... Finally, to be good, the captain has to be honest and fair.

How were you in the dressing room?

I tried to be flexible... I had (Sir) Ian Botham around!

Was Sir Ian given privileges?

Yes... But I did tell the younger players that if they eventually had Botham’s ability, then even they’d get privileges and perks.

Well, what were the perks?

Actually, before I gave Botham something, he helped me by taking some of the younger players under his wings... Perks? On tours, he wouldn’t play in between Test matches... Followed his own training pattern... Being a professional, though, Botham knew what he had to do.

Of the three — Hussain, Vaughan and Strauss — who ranks higher in your book?

Look, all three are different... With different strengths... Hussain was needed at that point in time (1999), then Vaughan was the perfect man to take the team forward (2003)... Strauss has been consolidating (from 2009).

Are all captains necessarily leaders?

Possibly not. It’s debatable.

The last one... What would you tell captains new in the job?

Be fair and be honest.