Former India batsman Lalchand Rajput blamed the team's disastrous showing in the limited-overs' series against South Africa on poor preparation ahead of the tour.
"We should have gone 2-3 weeks earlier to South Africa so that we could get time to acclimatise to the conditions there. We should have played 2-3 practice matches to get used to the wickets there," Rajput, the current India Under-19 coach, told rediff.com on Monday.
"I think the preparations were not proper. We played on the slower pitches here [India] in the ICC Champions Trophy and then right after that we went to South Africa, where you find fast bouncy wickets," he added.
Rajput said it is necessary to play a few practice games in countries like South Africa and Australia, where Indian batsmen have traditionally struggled.
But he believes the team must now forget the debacle of the one-day series, which it lost 4-0, and concentrate on the Test matches.
"The team must look forward now. The one-day series is over and done with. They must now look afresh to the Test series and hope for a better showing. Also, I think the batsmen will be better equipped in the Test series since they have now played five one-day matches; they are now used to the bounce and pace of the wickets in South Africa," he said.
Rajput, who is also the Mumbai Cricket Association secretary, expressed hope that the inclusion of senior players like V V S Laxman and Sourav Ganguly would add solidity to the batting.
He also supported the out-of-form batting duo of Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar, which failed to live upto expectations.
"Tendulkar is bound to comeback strongly. Both Tendulkar and Sehwag are technically sound; it's just that they are not in good form at the moment. But I am sure they will perform much better in the Test series," he added.
"Sehwag has his own style of batting, which he has been following since he started playing for India. Now suddenly he cannot change his game because he is not getting runs."
Sehwag, who scored 29 runs in the three one-dayers against South Africa, was heavily criticised for his lowly returns. And there were also claims from a section of the media that he should be dropped.
"I don't think he should be dropped. It is just the question of confidence. One big knock or a big stint in the middle and he will be back to his best," Rajput said.
He said he was not surprised to see coach Greg Chappell get the brickbats after the team's poor performance in the one-dayers.
"If a team does well you give credit to the coach; similarly when a team does badly, you point fingers at the coach. That always happens," said Rajput.
Meanwhile, former chairman of selectors Chandu Borde said he was disappointed by the team's showing in the one-day series.
"The performance by the Indian team was no doubt disappointing. It is just that the Indian batsmen didn't get used to the bounce and pace on South African pitches.
"All the players in this Indian squad are talented players, so I was really surprised to see such a performance. The players haven't lived up to expectations," he said.
He also supported Chappell, saying he is not responsible for the team's disastrous showing.
"The coach will try his best to get the best out of the players. He can only help with the strategy and pinpoint the technical faults of a player. He can't go out there and perform.
Asked whether the team could sort out things before the World Cup in March-April, he replied: "Lets hope so!"
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