India bring back Paddy Upton as mental conditioning coach
India has binded to South African mental cooler Paddy Upton to work with players ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia this year. ESPNCricinfo learned that Upton joined the Indian squad on Monday and would start his role before the third ODI against the Western Indies in Trinidad on Wednesday.
Upton, 53, came with a broad experience working with the Indian team and players. Between 2008 and 2011, he was India’s assistant coach Gary Kirsten, a task that peaked in the victory of the World Cup under MS Dhoni. Upton then cooperates with Kirsten once again and helps South Africa become the Test Team No. 1 in 2013.
It is understood that Upton was approached by Indian head coach Rahul Dravid with specific briefs to help the players remain mentally charged for the T20 World Cup in October and November. The appointment of Upton received support from Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who arrived in the Caribbean on Monday for the five Match T20i starting July 29.
Another main reason for the speed of Upton’s appointment is that Dravid wants to have an expert who can immediately work with players – especially younger ones – about mental conditioning, after playing in the Biosecure environment for more than two years during Pandemi Covid -19. With an endless international cricket schedule, Dravid wants his players in the best frame of mind in front of the T20 World Cup, after India failed to meet the requirements for the semifinals of the 2021 tournament at the UAE.
Upton has been in the T20 training circuit for several years now, recently as a team catalyst for Rajasthan Royals at IPL 2022. He also works with Dravid in the Rajasthan and Delhi franchise, and is part of the supporting staff of Sydney Thunder when they win the The The The The Rajasthan and Delhi BBL title in 2015-16.
Upton is known for its unique method as a mental cooler. He has used activities such as extreme sports, climbing mountains and canoes, theater improvisation, and breathing techniques to test the durability of the players when emphasized and help them realize that “fear in the cricket field is very small compared to this activity.”
In the past, India also used the services of other mental cooler experts such as Rudi Webster before the 2007 World Cup, and Sandy Gordon at the 2003 World Cup. Recently, Mugdha Bavare’s sports psychologist is part of Indian female support staff for the 2022 World Cup.
