Webinfosys's Sports News : Upton happy with players' commitment

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates wasted precious little time after their arrival here as the entire squad sweated it out for about three hours, which convinced their trainer and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton who said that there was no lack of commitment in the side.

Soon after their arrival from Kolkata, the Indian side headed for the indoor facilities at the Sher-e-Bangla national stadium here this evening for some fine-tuning.

Making the best use of the available facilities in a cramped indoor arena with three pitches for close to three hours under the supervision of coach Gary Kirsten, bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh, the team members had a rigorous workout.

At the end of the strenuous session, Upton, said they could not do much about the conditions and had to be satisfied with whatever was offered to them.

"It is a bit early to assess the fitness of the players. But they have shown commitment, that is important," he said.

Though he is yet to assess all the players in the side, Upton believes having the same person looking after both the physical and mental aspects of the players would help the side.

"What happened earlier was that the players finished physical training, then they went to somebody who did the mental side of them. But in cricket, both physical and mental aspects go side by side," he said.

"Whatever time I had during the Test series was enough to know what the players want. But the more time I spend with them, the better I will be able to judge the players.

"We are all learning, such is life. I have to find out what is going to work for the players, what their needs are, what the team wants and then execute plans that best suit them", Upton said.

He said all the players were eager to play for the country after turning out for different teams in the just-concluded Indian Premier League.

"A cricketer's lifestyle is very, very busy and he understands that he has to give his best. They are professionals and must be able to adapt from Twenty20 to One-dayers to Tests. The top teams are those who are going to adapt quickly," he said.

Earlier, Indian team arrived to a heavy drizzle from Kolkata where they stayed overnight. Punjab pacer Manpreet Singh Goni, a last-minute replacement for injured S Sreesanth, is expected to join the squad on Monday.

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