India coach Gary Kirsten says the team which remains calm under pressure will have the edge in the series
BANGALORE: It’s time to put the ‘seniors’ debate aside, and focus on the battle ahead, says India’s coach Gary Kirsten. Distractions are not welcome when the upcoming tussle is going to need high levels of mental calmness and strength. “Both of them are very competitive teams,” he said after a five-hour intense practice session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Friday.
“We know the Australians will be well prepared when they come here and they would have done all the home work. It boils down to what happens in the pressure situation — it’s going to be a mental battle. Whoever is going to be calmest under pressure will have the edge.”
The seniors and selection issue was irrelevant at this time, the coach said. “I think we should move on from there. The team has been selected and we are looking forward to the Test series against Australia,” he said. “We need to start focusing on individuals, who have been picked to play for India; focus on making sure that we have prepared well.”
Kirsten is pleased with the way the team has been preparing. Friday’s session was undoubtedly the toughest so far. It included focussed sessions for all the batsmen, who faced frontline bowlers and local hands alike. The bowlers weren’t excluded from batting duties either. Giving the lower order adequate importance, skipper Anil Kumble spent considerable time with bat, and Kirsten singled Zaheer Khan for special attention too.
“We have had a nice five days of work. We have put in as much time as possible. Yet there was a time when we needed to get away from cricket a little bit which we did yesterday. We had a bit of fun and team building,” said Kirsten.
He was referring to a group outing on Thursday, after a high intensity training session in the morning. Accompanied by Kirsten, the team went to a resort in the outskirts of Bangalore where the players were involved in team building activities which also included an hour-long session of yoga.
“The most important thing was to create as much variety as possible for the players. Day in and day out they are training and have been doing the same thing with skill. So we wanted to create something different and fun,” said Kristen. “It’s the first time, since
I’ve been the coach of the Indian team, that we got this much time to prepare for a series and every one is really looking forward to the series beginning.”
About the bowling combination, Kristen said, “There is a thought of going with five bowlers. Picking up an extra-seamer is also an option.”
Kristen believes that spinners would play a key role in the series. “There are various combinations that we could use. As the series unfolds we are going to apply our minds and see what’s going to work best,” he said.
