The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Paddy Upton as a mental conditioning coach. The official Twitter handle of BCCI posted a photo of Upton in Port of Spain. “Say hello to our mental conditioning coach Mr. Paddy Upton,” tweeted BCCI. It is important to note that Upton was part of the support staff of India’s 2011 World Cup winning team. Upton has been roped in on a short-term contract and will be the latest addition to coach Rahul Dravid’s team of support staff, say reports. Upton was first roped in by former India coach Gary Kirsten, when he took charge of the senior national team in 2008 and they forged a successful partnership till 2011.
Upton, since then has been associated with various IPL teams and has worked with Dravid at Rajasthan Royals. It is only understandable that Dravid approached Upton for being familiar with his style of working which had worked wonders for the Indian team of the last decade. Upton, during the last IPL, was Rajasthan Royals’ ‘team catalyst’. With India having a hectic itinerary going into the T20 World Cup starting with the Pakistan game in Melbourne on October 23, Dravid perhaps would have understood the need of having a man, who is known for being a motivator and also helping players cope with rigours of international cricket.