India coach Greg Chappell has been literally studying, how England transformed themselves to steal an Ashes win and hopes to replicate the revival wrought by Duncan Fletcher.
Chappell, who admits the upcoming cricket series against England would be a stern test for India, said he had been reading books by Fletcher and skipper Michael Vaughan and was inspired to rebuild the Indian side on similar lines.
"I met Duncan for the first time this week, but I've followed him from a distance since I got involved in coaching. I've just read his book, and Michael Vaughan's, and many things they did rebuilding England we're going through now," the former Australian captain said.
"There are things you have to do, and it takes time. The bolder you are, the quicker you get there, and that steeled me when I saw what needed to be done," he said in an interview to 'The Sunday Times'.
"I thought that England's Ashes performance was exceptional. Their bowling was spectacular and their spirit was great. They were well led on and off the field. England are one of the best two or three teams in the world now, so it's a great opportunity for us to see where we are," he said.
Chappell said he was set on bringing in some fresh legs as the Indian team was ripe for regeneration.
"The team is ripe for regeneration. We've still got some very experienced players, some of the best names in their history but to maximise their talent I perceived that we needed different personalities, different skills and youth," he said, probably referring to the youth-oriented squad, sans Sourav Ganguly, that was picked for the first Test.
Chappell said any sporting team ignored youth at its peril.
"An important part of selection is knowing when to pick someone. And, by implication, when not to. The safe option is not always the best. Sometimes you've got to tell someone, 'mate, sorry, it's time to move on'.
"The players I'm looking at have got the talent. What you're looking for are temperament, competitive instinct, tenacity. I'm interested in what makes champions."
Further changes can be expected, the report said.
"The system here supported Indian cricket well enough through the amateur days, but it's not ideal for the professional era," Chappell said.
"It's cumbersome because you've got 30-odd states, a country of a billion people, and millions of kids playing cricket."
Praising the tenacity of Sachin Tendulkar, Chappell said, "I've been impressed with how the players handle it. Sachin Tendulkar has lived with it for 17 years. I'm amazed by the way he handles it."
At this stage results are less important to Chappell than working towards the right solutions. He feels lessons were learnt during the Test defeat in Pakistan, not least trusting youth in the one-dayers, which India won 4-1.
"The spirit changed dramatically, and that encouraged the selectors to move down that path with the Test team," he said.
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