Fleming surprised at India's late arrival

[Ashok]

Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, has expressed doubts over India's preperation for the opening game of the Videocon Cup at Bulawayo. Fleming said he expected India to struggle against New Zealand in tomorrow's game as he felt their decision to arrive at the venue barely 24 hours before the match could backfire.

"I am a bit surprised at Indians' late arrival at the venue," said Fleming. "It will be interesting to see how they manage their energies. If they win then obviously it is a smart move but if they struggle, as I expect them to struggle, it wouldn't be such a smart move."

The Indians arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday but spent the next two days in Harare, fine-tuning their preparation and letting go an opportunity to acclimatise themselves to the difficult conditions in Bulawayo. They took an early morning flight to arrive in Bulawayo this morning.

Bulawayo gets extremely hot in the afternoon and Fleming described it as "a sense of burning in the lungs" during daytime. He also said India would be under pressure to perform well against his galvanised side. "They have always been a very strong side but I expect the pressure to be on them to perform. They are naturally gifted players although I haven't followed their form.

"We intend to exert pressures on individuals in the Indian team. Obviously playing against them is a step up but we have played with confidence in recent times."

Fleming said one of the reasons why his team has been in top form is because all the players have been fit and available for selection including Nathan Astle. "He batted in the nets today and is available tomorrow. The key for us has been the consistent performance which wasn't there in the past season because of injuries to five or six players at the same time.

When we get a top side we are pretty good and we will have a chance to measure ourselves in the next six months when we play against sides such as Australia. Potentially we remain a very good side."

Fleming was not upset at the poor return to international cricket of his star allrounder Chris Cairns who was belted for 74 runs in his nine overs against Zimbabwe yesterday. "This was his first bowl in a long time. He has been a little rusty but then he is a seasoned campaigner. It will take him little time to get into the tournament."

Fleming indicated Cairns could be dropped tomorrow but it would not be because of poor form. "We have players who are playing well and can cover up for him," he said. "If he is dropped, it would be for tactical reason and not form."