Thaindian News

London, Aug 19 (IANS) Former England skipper Andrew Flintoff slammed India’s lacklustre approach to the ongoing cricket Test series and said the hosts looked far more a “professional side” even during the warm-ups.

India not only find themselves trailing 0-3 in the four-match Test series but they have also lost their World No.1 tag to England.

The visitors looked equally sloppy on the opening day of the last Test at The Oval, which they need to win to avoid a whitewash.

Flintoff, who watched the Indians during their warm-up drills, severely criticised their attitude.

“I’ve not seen much of the summer, and this morning I watched the two sides warming up,” he was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.

“I saw India, and they looked like they had just 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.”

Flintoff, who finished his career with 226 Test wickets and scored 3,845 runs, said India have only themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in.

“Watching the slip catching practice, 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.”