England all-rounder Samit Patel is confident that he can put his fitness problems behind him and get back to performing at the best of his abilities.
The left-armer has struggled with fitness issues throughout his career, but England’s management made his realise that it was only his attitude towards fitness that was keeping him out of the side.
"If I did the right stuff I was very confident of getting back and I had good vibes from the management," Patel told reporters in India. "I knew my cricket wasn't the issue, it was the other stuff."
Andy Flower has ensured that the English are a well-drilled unit and Patel emphasised the importance of not being complacent.
"It's a big one really," he added. "To be willing to do the work and show the attitude to do it was a big thing for me. I hope I've overcome that now. Not fully yet. It doesn't change overnight, there is a long way to go."
"It's a combination [of things], training harder, doing the hours. The willingness to train was probably one of the issues, but attitude-wise I'm back on track and going in the right direction.
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. But things are going quite well. I've lost a bit of weight and attitude-wise, training is the big one for the ECB and England, the willingness to do the work. Maybe I didn't show that but now I'm doing it."
Despite spending much of the last three years in the international wilderness, Patel was kept informed by the England management and always knew what was required of him. "They always kept me in the loop and told me what to do. They wouldn't have picked me in the summer otherwise." he revealed.
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