Gary Kirsten to focus on conditioning, practice at camp
The enthusiasm Team India coach Gary Kirsten carried summed up the mood in the national camp and the South African was only too forthcoming as he disclosed the secret behind the smile. The relatively long break the Men in Blue enjoyed over the past six weeks has left the coach a satisfied man, more so against the backdrop of a creditable show by his wards in the last few months, except, of course, in the T20 World Cup.
The joie de vivre was palpable as the Indian cricketers began their preparations for a long season at the National Cricket Academy here on Thursday, sweating it out in the gymnasium and undergoing fitness tests in the afternoon. Captain MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh even had a brief session of badminton at the courts in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium premises.
“It is important for us to get back on track. The big focus here is on conditioning. Equally, it is time for us to up the intensity on practice. We are going to hit a lot in the next three days and the guys are going to bowl a lot as well. We know that we are two weeks away from a One-day event and are setting up things for that,” said Kirsten emphasising the importance of the four-day camp.
On whether such a short camp is enough before a crucial tournament like the Champions Trophy, Kirsten said: “It doesn’t concern me. We have tried to plan things in whatever way possible. It was important for us to have a six-week break. It is the longest break the Indian team had for a long time. There is a lot of cricket coming up including the Corporate Cup. We play three games in Sri Lanka and then we have enough time before playing the first game in the Champions Trophy.”
Realising that the No.1 ODI status is not too far away, the goal now, according to Kirsten, is to carry the momentum forward. “We have performed really well. The One-day team has virtually an 80 percent win ratio in the last eight months. We take pride in our consistency and we like to continue that. Everyone is feeling quite fresh mentally at the moment and it is nice to be back in the mix again… We had a setback in the T20 World Cup but that can happen to any world class team. We are looking forward to what we can achieve. The team spirit and unity is good as it has ever been,” remarked Kirsten.
Even the hue and cry over short-pitched deliveries did not seem to bother the coach. “The short-pitched ball was a problem in only one game in the T20 World Cup. All of them including the young players have performed exceptionally well over an extended period of time.”
No wonder, Kirsten apparently was not ready to tag the short-ball issue along with Dravid’s inclusion and was keen to look at the larger picture. “It is good to have him (Dravid) back. He is a very experienced player and he adds massive value to the team. He is a natural performer.
“My expectation from Dravid would be same as from any other player – to give 100 per cent for the team. I don’t need to tell him (Dravid) that because he does it every time. There is no pressure on individuals to perform on any given day because we know that if they do what they have to do in training and preparation, they give themselves the best chance to attain success,” signed off the coach.
