Indian captain Rohit Sharma hailed Paddy Upton’s appointment as Team India’s mental conditioning coach ahead of the 1st T20i against West Indies on July 29, saying the South African can really make a difference to the team.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has brought Upton back into India’s coaching staff on the recommendation of head coach Rahul Dravid to help prepare the team for the T20 World Cup in 2022.
As reported by Indian Express, Rohit Sharma stated: “I think it was a great move to bring him in. We are very excited to have him in the squad. I genuinely feel that he can make a difference in this team.”
He added, “He has got so much experience working with different teams at different places. His inclusion in the squad will definitely help all of us. He will definitely bring the mental side of the game, which is very, very important, into the picture. He has worked with the Indian team before, he was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning Indian team, and he has also had success with a lot of franchise teams.”
Rohit signed off by saying, “He knows a lot of our players as well, he has worked with them closely before. It is only his second or third day with the team now so he is probably just observing the guys he hasn’t worked with earlier and I am sure he will start his work and get the players’ thoughts as well.”
After joining the Indian team on the Caribbean tour, Upton told bcci.tv: “The mental side of the game has always been important, that hasn’t changed. I think what might have changed is the fact that we have come through and out of the Covid experience.”
He concluded, “A lot of the players have been on the road a lot of the time and so there is an extra element to manage to try and get individual players and the team as a whole into the best possible space.”
