Chappell slams the media

Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, has slammed the media for putting the Indian team in a "negative" light. He was particularly annoyed when repeatedly questioned about whether the Indian team had the killer instinct.

"I am appalled at the amount of negatives that's put out there in the marketplace about this Indian cricket team," said Chappell, according to a PTI report. "You keep asking me this question (about killer instinct); many members of the media keep asking me this question. They (Indian team) have been a very successful team and they will continue to be a very successful team."

Chappell pointed to Australia's recent defeat against Bangladesh as evidence that fortunes could change very quickly in sport, adding: "In the meantime, they [the Indian team] have some good days and bad days. We have to accept that it happens at this level, especially in one-day cricket."

Meanwhile, the Indian cricketers have been introduced to the Edward De Bono method at the Bangalore training camp, to enhance creativity and thinking skills. The 36 Indian probables attended a two-and-a-half hour workshop, conducted by Shiva Subramaniam, head of the creativity and innovation division at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), that also focused on team building. Subramaniam, who is an expert on the De Bono method, told reporters that it is essentially a tool for thinking and that by using the method, the thought-output became more elegant and organised.

"It relates to how by using six thinking hats and lateral thinking (invented by Edward de Bono), one can enhance confidence in oneself and be a better thinker and creative person," he said. Chappell, who is trying innovative ways to take the team to another level, approved of the Bono method. "I felt it was a tool that can add value to what we were doing," he said "If we have to take this team to another level and fulfill its potential, I think we need to look at a whole range of issues differently from the way we would normally look at them."

Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly,the Indian Captain, Dinesh Mongia, Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman and Murali Kartik, who had missed the physical fitness and conditioning camp, joined the other probables for the final phase. Sachin Tendulkar, recovering from a surgery he had undergone for tennis elbow, has also arrived in Bangalore for interactions with Chappell and John Gloster, the Indian physio.