India have brought back South African mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton into the fold for the upcoming ICC event. Upton will work with the Indian players in the lead up to the T20 World Cup in Australia in October. He has joined the Indian squad on Monday and will begin his work immediately.
The 53-year-old has the experience of working with Indian players, having served as an assistant to the then head coach Gary Kirsten during 2008 to 2011 – a stint that culminated in India winning the ODI World Cup. Upton worked with Kirsten for South Africa as well, helping them become the no. 1 Test side in 2013.
It is understood that the head coach Rahul Dravid approached Upton with a specific brief of helping the players stay in the best mental space for the World Cup in October. Dravid was keen for a mental conditioning expert to work with the players, having spent months in biosecure bubbles during the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from that, the players have to deal with the packed cricket schedule, and Dravid wants them in the best mental frame heading into the big event.
Upton has an immense experience in the T20 coaching circuit. Most recently, he acted as the team catalyst for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022. He has also teamed up with Dravid in the past, at Rajasthan and Delhi franchises.
Upton is renowned for using unique methods as a mental conditioning coach, with activities such as mountain climbing, extreme sports, improvisation theatre and breath-holding exercises. Upton likes to test the endurance of players and make them realise that the fear on the cricket field is nothing compared to these activities.
Upton’s appointment was in line with Rohit Sharma’s stance, having stressed the importance of mental health several times. The skipper arrived in the Caribbean on Monday along with a few others for the five-match T20 series against West Indies from July 29.
