Coach Kirsten keeps it simple

No fancy innovations on first day of practice as new coach Gary Kirsten makes a low-profile entry into Team India fold.

It was a normal, quiet day for the Indian cricket team 8212; stretching, jogging around the field, taking sharp catches and batting in the nets. But something was different. Watching every move of the 14 players in the squad were two newcomers 8212; coach Gary Kirsten and trainer Paddy Upton, officially in charge of the team for the first time.

As the two slipped into their roles, you could wonder how they would blend with a side that has improved in all aspects over the last year despite not having a full-time coach. There used to be complaints that the batsmen wouldn8217;t score overseas, but the top-order has done just that over the last eight months; if fielding was an issue, the influx of youngsters is fast changing things; and, in the bowling department, Venkatesh Prasad seems to have worked wonders with the pacemen.

The answer, to some extent, was visible in what transpired over the next three-and-a-half hours.

In the beginning, Kirsten just stood talking to captain Anil Kumble, while Upton took charge. The mental and physical conditioning coach, who also has the fancy title of 8216;strategic leadership coach8217;, began with Sreesanth 8212; a casual chat peppered with good humour to set the tone for the proceedings.

Upton then spoke to each of the bowlers, including RP Singh and Zaheer Khan, who are returning from injuries Zaheer was at the nets even though he8217;s not playing in the series. Later, he turned his focus completely on Virender Sehwag, who8217;s set to open the batting along with Wasim Jaffer. The two had a 45-minute chat away from the nets. It was during this time that Kirsten took over, directing the bowlers and batsmen on how to go about their business.

There had been some excitement over Kirsten and Upton bringing in some new innovations in training 8212; perhaps because of the sudden changes that their predecessors Greg Chappell and Ian Frazer had made right after taking over. But nothing extraordinary happened.

Instead, only six batsmen 8212; Jaffer, Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni 8212; padded up. The rest, including Sourav Ganguly, only bowled for the better part of the afternoon.

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As more than a couple of players said after the session, the day was spent discussing ideas, sharing thoughts, and not immediately getting down to what is right and wrong. 8220;There was no time wasted in the practice session. With Gary taking over, man-management and facilities are a lot better,8221; said Virender Sehwag.

8220;It was an enjoyable session,8221; said another player, saying the team India is looking to continue stay in the state of mind they had during the Australian tour.