Focus back on the game

For those who have keenly followed the cricketers’ Bangalore assignments over the past couple of years, Chappell’s camps never lacked in variety. There were rolling camps and conditioning sessions; military style training and nets based on match-situation reactions.

Players would have been found running with either plastic barrels over their shoulders or for that matter cruising through the jungles on the outskirts of the city dressed in army jackets.

If that weren’t enough, there were CEOs lecturing on mental toughness, and yoga and tai-chi took care of a major chunk of the afternoon. Evenings were meant for meetings with top TCS consultant Shiva Subramanium to learn more about wearing the thinking cap and the de Bono method.

Cricket was just another routine while emphasis was on developing fitness — physical and mental — and personality through odd and uncommon methods.

One would frequently hear skipper Rahul Dravid voicing his appreciation those days. “It’s a process where one can enjoy his cricket and learn about developing as an individual,” he would say.

In retrospect, it is pertinent to note that while those camps may have helped players at an individual level, they failed to serve the purpose as far as collective performances were concerned. India’s record, if compared from 2002 to 2004, remained way below par during the Chappell years, the World Cup exit finally forcing him to quit the job.

After Chappell quit, this is the first camp where all the players are present. Today, when the players arrived at the Chinnaswamy Stadium at 10 am, one couldn’t help but notice the difference from the Chappell days.

The players did plenty of running but without any extra burden like the barrels. There was no military fatigue, but only the latest apparel meant to keep them cool under the blazing sun. Prasad and Singh did all the talking, and Dravid (seen in picture practising) Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly shared their experience.

The day began with stretching exercises followed by an hour’s session at the nets. After lunch, a couple of hours were devoted to improving fielding skills and they were ready to go back to the hotel before the clock struck five.

Prasad insisted that this camp was already successful with specific fitness-related exercises in place and players devoting enough time to batting and bowling sessions. “It’s a direct, trouble-shooting approach where everybody gets the time to be himself and have a good hard-working day on the field,” Prasad explained. Singh added: “We’ve been working on improving a few areas like agility, fielding and running between the wickets.”

In comparison to what Chappell had preached — “cricket is a small part of overall development”— the current version seems to be more game-oriented than anything else.

Chappell’s camps may have been interesting, but the overall results were disastrous. The current one looks more focused on the job at hand. The result, of course, remains to be seen.