Darren Gough and Alec Stewart have both confirmed in their Sunday newspaper columns that they do not want to go to India this winter - and in doing so have fallen foul of England's management who are insisting on an all-or-nothing approach to the tours. Writing in the News of the World, Darren Gough said that he needed a rest but had been told that only players who toured India before Christmas would be considered for the Tests against New Zealand in March. "I don't see why I can't go to New Zealand for the Tests after missing the India series," said Gough. "They (the management) feel differently and they call the shots." The English Cricket Board have said that they will only offer two winter contracts - one for the two Test series and one for the two five-match one-day competitions - and that the Test contracts will not be split. Gough said that after a hectic year he was in need of a rest if he was to continue playing for England at his best. "To do that I need a decent break and I've decided to stay at home for the rest of the year. That's my decision. It's a simple choice. Do I keep going until I break down or am exhausted? Or do I take a break now in the hope of being around for the next 18 months?" He added that he was still keen to play in the two one-day series if the selectors wanted him. Meanwhile in the Sunday Times Alec Stewart was equally adamant that he did not want to go to India, even if it meant missing out on the second leg of the tour. "I have been an England player for more than 10 years and have always put my country first," Stewart said. "For the good of the side I move up and down the order. I have also acted as stand-in captain whenever I have been asked. This is the first time I have asked for a bit of understanding and I hope the selectors will be sympathetic to my cause. I do not think it unreasonable to miss a tour after everything."

Chairman of selectors David Graveney said that the ECB had made every effort to give senior players as much time off as possible. "The selectors' approach to this issue has been flexible," he said. "However, we feel it would set a dangerous precedent to allow players to pick and choose which elements of a winter tour they are prepared to undertake."

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