Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed a new coach in the coaching staff of the Indian team to put an end to the recent disappointment of not being able to win important titles in cricket. Paddy Upton, the former mental conditioning coach of the national team, has recently joined Rahul Dravid’s support staff.
M.S. When India won the World Cup in 2011 under the leadership of Dhoni, Upton was with the team as a mental conditioning coach to prepare the players mentally for the big games. Dravid was the captain of Rajasthan Royals in IPL in 2013 and coached the team. He has joined the Indian team that is touring the West Indies. The Indian Cricket Board has signed a contract with Upton till the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the months of October-November.
However, former pace bowler and Malayali S. Sreesanth entered the scene. ‘I don’t think he will do any miracles. If we win the Twenty20 World Cup, it will be because of the excellence of the players and Rahul bhai (Dravid) as a coach. We have a good team. Besides, I don’t think the man you mention is going to make any difference to the team.’ Sreesanth told a Mumbai daily.
“You have to be mentally strong even while playing domestic cricket. We will prepare ourselves for that.’ Sreesanth said that there is no need for a coach for mental conditioning. Sreesanth, who was banned from cricket due to the bribery scandal, returned to the field after the court verdict. Sreesanth recently retired from all formats of cricket.
Earlier, Upton’s autobiography had mentioned Sreesanth. Upton revealed in his autobiography that when Sreesanth was not included in the playing eleven for the match against Mumbai Indians in the 2013 IPL, he blamed Rajasthan Royals captain Dravid and his coach.
When asked what impact Upton had on the Indian team from 2008 to 2011, Sreesanth’s reply was ‘only one percent’. ‘Gary Kersten, who was the head coach at that time, did 99 percent of the work. Upton was his only assistant. Upton has now joined the coaching staff of the Indian team because he was in the Rajasthan Royals together with his brother Rahul.
‘Gary was an amazing coach. Every player will agree to that. During the tour of Australia in 2007-98, Suresh Raina and I were doing fielding training and he came next to me and said – ‘Does anyone want to win the 2011 World Cup? The preparation for that should start now’. Gary had such foresight.’ – Sreesanth explained.
Sreesanth also expressed hope that India will win the Twenty20 World Cup this year. “The team is performing well. There is a great chance to win the World Cup this time.
