Kirsten pulls up 3 stars: At 42,I am fitter than you

The team meeting was preceded by a series of one-on-one meeting with seven under-performing players. It is unlikely that Kirsten will be passing on minutes of the meeting to the BCCI but the chances are that these issues will figure in the team managers tour report.

BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty refused to comment. We will wait for the managers report. In case there is something serious,we will act, he said.

Sources said Kirsten wanted a strict alcohol ban on the players and a code of conduct in place to arrest the drastic slide in discipline and fitness levels. This comes in the wake of players refusing to follow curfew orders by the team management and insisting on their freedom and privacy.

Coach saw it coming,spoke to seniors

Coach Gary Kirstens criticism of the fitness levels of some team members,their commitment and lifestyle patterns after Indias disastrous World T20 campaign in the Caribbean did not come suddenly. It came almost eight months after he fired the first salvo.

Last year,Kirsten had expressed disappointment over the lifestyle and behaviour pattern of some players. Discussing the issue with senior team members ahead of the Champions Trophy in South Africa,the coach had sought their intervention,asking the seniors to informally raise the subject with some of the younger players to try and check the slide.

He was said to have been upset over a set of young players getting carried away by the glitz and glamour of international cricket.

His apprehensions came after some of the younger players,sources said,failed to turn out in proper shape for hard training during the Sri Lanka tours as they partied late into the night. This in turn affected the team schedule.

There were reports that a couple of players had to be helped to their rooms after late-night parties during these tours.

Interestingly,Paddy Uptons sex dossier,leaked during the Champions Trophy,also quoted Tim Noakes,a professor and sports scientist at the University of Cape Town,as saying that sex was not a problem,but being up till 2 am,probably having a few drinks at a bar while trying to pick someone up on the eve of a game,almost always was.

The dossier by Upton,the conditioning coach,also had chapters on self-improvement and proper eating. Ahead of the new season,Kirsten had insisted on periodic fitness tests and a roster of each individuals fitness based on his agility,muscle strength,stamina and speed. Some of the players had slid from their initial levels over the past few months,forcing Kirsten to hand a dressing down.