CricketPaddy Upton Takes Up Role Of Team India’s Mental Conditioning Coach
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India has hired South African mental conditioning specialist Paddy Upton to work with the players ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia this year. ESPNcricinfo learned that Upton joined the Indian team on Monday and will make his debut ahead of the third ODI against West Indies in Trinidad on Wednesday.

Paddy Upton, 53, has vast experience of working with the Indian team and players. Between 2008 and 2011, he was an assistant to India coach Gary Kirsten, a stint that culminated in a World Cup victory under MS Dhoni. Upton then teamed up with Kirsten to help South Africa become the No. 1 Test team in 2013.

Upton is understood to have been approached by India’s head coach Rahul Dravid to help the players mentally prepare for the T20 World Cup to be held in October and November. Upton’s appointment was backed by India captain Rohit Sharma, who arrived in the Caribbean on Monday for the five-match T20I series starting July 29.

Another major reason for the rapid growth of Paddy Upton’s appointment is that Dravid was keen on a specialist who could immediately work with players – especially youngsters – on mental conditioning, playing in a biosecure environment for more than two years. During, during the Covid-19 pandemic. With international cricket’s relentless schedule, Dravid wants his players to be in the best frame of mind ahead of the T20 World Cup after India failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2021 tournament in the United Arab Emirates.

Upton has been on the T20 coaching circuit for many years, most recently as a team catalyst for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022. He also worked with Dravid in the Rajasthan and Delhi franchises, and was part of Sydney Thunder’s support staff when they won the BBL title in 2015–16.

Upton is known for his unique methods as a mental conditioning specialist. They have used activities such as extreme sports, mountaineering and canoeing, improvisation theater and breathing techniques to test players’ endurance when under stress and to help them feel “on the cricket field”.

In the past, India has also used the services of other mental-conditioning specialists such as Rudy Webster before the 2007 World Cup and Sandy Gordon in the 2003 World Cup. Most recently, sports psychologist Mugdha Bawre was part of India’s women’s support staff for the 2022 Women’s World Cup.