LONDON, April 11 - England batsman Marcus
Trescothick returned home early from the tour of India because
of a virus and wanting to spend more time with his family, the
opener said on Tuesday.
At the time, the England management cited "personal
reasons" for the vice-captain's departure before the start of
the first test in February, and the Somerset batsman confirmed
that illness was the main cause behind his decision to leave
India.
"I picked up a bug when I was out there," Trescothick told
the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Web site.
"The second part of Bombay (Mumbai) really hit me hard; I
wasn't sleeping and couldn't shake it off.
"We moved to Baroda and it didn't get any better; I wasn't
eating or drinking and it really took its toll -- so it got to
the point when I said I was pretty fatigued and struggling to
concentrate on my cricket ahead of a big test match.
"I spoke to the people that needed to know and decided it
was the right thing to come home."
Trescothick also said the decision to leave was also down
to wanting to have more time with his family.
"We play so much; we spend 300 nights a year out of our own
house either travelling the world or at hotels preparing for
games in England," he added.
"There are times when you have to understand that you need
to have a rest. Touring Pakistan and India are probably the
hardest you can do, because it is not easy to take your family
away to that part of the world. You spend a long time away from
home."
England lost the test series 2-0 in Pakistan but drew 1-1
with India, winning the third and final test in Mumbai - their
first triumph on Indian soil since the 1984-85 tour.