quote:

Originally posted by *Chandan*:
India has already announced 29 probables for this tour

How many will be in good shape after this tour ??

Piyush Chawla and a UP pacer Pankaj Singh are to join the bowlers camp from 4th June.

Chawla was to leave last night for Australia where here was scheduled to train at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane along with Tamil Nadu medium pacer Yomahesh and Saurashtra batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.

It was also speculated that Chawla had been advised to cancel his Australian sojourn since he could be named in the Indian squad for the one-day internationals against South Africa and Pakistan later this month. That team was to be picked on June 11.

When will the board learn not to goof up the things? Why could they not give this scholarship to Chawla last year? Or if he is awarded this year, why can't the board make it mandatory for Chawla to go to Australia barring any emergency?

Hindu reports:

The bowling camp also had a last-minute addition — Piyush Chawla — who too left for Mysore in the team bus. The rookie leg-spinner, initially selected for the Border-Gavaskar Scholarship, was all set to leave for Australia by the midnight flight via Singapore on Saturday.

Puzzled Piyush


However, one hour prior to his departure, he was informed by the BCCI to report to the camp at Mysore. A puzzled Piyush cancelled his trip Down Under at the last minute and is now resigned to the fact that he has missed out on the scholarship to train at the Australian Cricket Academy.

The young spinner will be hoping that he at least keeps his place in the Indian team on the flight to England.

The NCA, in consultation with the BCCI, is in the process of substituting Piyush with another player for the Border-Gavaskar Scholarship programme. However, the new player will only get four weeks at the Australian Cricket Academy instead of the regular five weeks.

What chaos?!!

The bungling BCCI once again proves it has only its own interests at heart. It would have been a great opportunity for Piyush to hone his skills and to be available for the ODI tour of England.

Does this mean he has now become a certain selection for the Irish, Scottish and English (test) series? Would hardly be fair to have kept him away from Australia only to discover he could miss the actual tours as well.

Irfan, Sreesanth 'sweating it out' at MRF Pace Foundation

Its a good news that Sree has recovered fully from his calf injury and it is also good that Pathan seems to be on his way back.

But the bad news is that Sree will miss the first two days of the bowlers' camp and Zaheer and Bhajji will miss it completely, because they'll be busy playing Afro-Asian games!!

ok. So the bowling camp begins!But print as well as electronic media have been kept away. So we won't actually know what exactly is happening there.

We'll just have wait and see if this camp has any positive effect on the bowlers or not!

Indian Bowlers Continue To Slug It Out At The Conditioning Camp In Mysore

Bowlers' fitness and technique is under scrutiny in this camp. Thats good IMO.

Yesterday, I watched Sree play in the Afro-Asia Twenty20. He has recovered completely from his injury. His maximum speed was 142kph in that hot and sultry condition. He got good swing. But was wayward in the last two overs.

He fielded well too. He'll be joining the camp today. Let us hope he is in full form in England.

Without Kits, No Nets At Bowlers' Camp For Indian Players At the Infosys Campus In Mysore

Fitness of the 14 Indian players was analysed for the third day at the ongoing bowlers' camp, being held at the Infosys campus in Mysore.

Trainer Gregory King kept an eye on the medium pacers and spinners as the bowlers went through various drills.

The bowlers have come for the camp without their kit - like bat, gloves and guards - and with no batsmen to bat at the nets, it was unlikely that they would be asked to bowl at the camp, a source said.

What a strange camp is this? Bowlers are here not to bowl???

Now in batting camp, there won't be any batting maybe!!

hahahahahaha!! that is hilarious! only in india

Richest board in the world!

High fives all round.

Munaf fully fit for forthcoming tour of England: King

"All the bowlers are fit for the forthcoming tour of Ireland and England. Injured bowler Munaf Patel is also fit," King told reporters today after the conclusion of the four-day fitness-specific camp for bowlers held at the Infosys campus here.

During the camp the bowlers were taught lessons in communication skills and leadership qualities at the Infosys Leadership Institute situated inside the campus.

The bowlers trained by jogging, swimming and working out at the state-of-the-art gymnasiums.


But if Patel didn't bowl, how do we know that he won't break down again? Strange!

Batsmen's camp starts tomorrow

BANGALORE: A four-day fitness-specific camp for batsmen would commence at the National Cricket Academy here on Saturday to fine tune the invited players ahead of the hectic international schedule for the Indian team.

Fifteen players have been asked to attend the camp for batsmen but four of them, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, are taking part in the Afro-Asia Cup ODI series in progress and therefore will take part only on the last two days - June 11 and 12.

"The camp would basically focus on fitness but there would be fielding drills too which form part of the fitness regimen," said NCA's administrative manager Col Nair on Friday.

So there would be no batting in the batting camp!! Why couldn't the bowlers and batmen called together if it was just fitness specific?

"Room for improvement in the fitness level of bowlers" : King

Mysore : Indian cricket team trainer Gregory King expressed his satisfaction over the conduct of the five-day fitness training camp for fast bowlers that concluded on the Infosys Campus in Mysore on Friday.

"We have been able to achieve everything that we set to achieve. We have done what we usually do in a fitness camp; assess the fitness of the players, make sure that the guys understand and get on to their individual programmes. Also, bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad had a one-on-one session with the bowlers on technical aspects," King told the media.

King, however, did mention that the fitness levels of the bowlers could be better.

"To be frank, the fitness levels can be better. That's why camps like this are good as it helps us assess as to where the players stand and for those who are below the mark, we have tried to get them back on track," King said.

Split sessions


The trainer explained that the daily schedule was split into two sessions that focussed on conditioning, running, strength training, fielding skills and bowling skills. And as for unwinding and some team-bonding, the players indulged in a bit of swimming, badminton, table tennis, volleyball, basketball, squash, billiards and snooker.

King was also pleased with injured speedster Munaf Patel's recovery. "Munaf is looking good and coming along well. Obviously, John Gloster (physio) will have to assess him at the next stage, but he completed all the fitness drills with the same intensity as everyone else," King said while adding that there was no regular pattern in injury-related woes for the fast bowlers.

"I don't think there were no more or no less injuries than before. A lot of time we can't get the right reason behind these injuries. Of course I would like to see improvement in certain areas as each guy has been individually spoken on what he needs to do," King said and mentioned that the bowlers were given a specific fitness training schedule for six months according to each individual needs, with an eye on the long season ahead.

All about fitness


"It was all about fitness, keeping in mind the busy schedule ahead. Prasad had one or two sessions with us on bowling in which we concentrated on body positions and follow-through," R.P. Singh said.

He also expressed that conditions in Ireland and England would be different and one has to get used to the wickets and conditions and perform accordingly. The camp concluded at 2.00 p.m. and the players along with the support staff left for Bangalore by bus.

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So why can't we have a check on the fitness level of the players, batsmen and bowlers before every tour and even during off season? Say, they should have these checks in every two months and then see which player is working hard enough to maintain the standard and which player is falling behind?

And they should fine a player who's fitness is below the expected level, and the same offence twice might mean even losing his place in the side!

Why can't a proper structure be put in place?

Batsmen's camp gets underway as Sachin and Jaffer are yet to join in

Chandan,

Did you see Dhoni's keeping in Afro-Asian series?

I'd say he was simply superb behind stumps. Want to know Josh's fresh take on Dhoni's keeping skills.

And his batting? 139* off 97 balls.

Harbhajan still doesn't look like he'll be too effective in tests, though the doosra did come out well yesterday. Can anyone who watched the last match tell me how he bowled? (Just caught the highlights in the morning).

I watched the match and Bhajji bowled much better yesterday than in the 1st ODI. There was loop, flight, doosra, top-spinner and nice turning off-breaks. He foxed the batsmen well, but let us not forget that he bowled when the runs were on the board. Will he bowl that well when the team is setting a target?

On the other hand, few bad news:

Zaheer likely to miss Ireland ODIs

Munaf is also unlikely and Zaheer and Munaf might be replaced by Ishant and Bose.

I don't understand. Didn't the trainer say the other day that Munaf had recovered completely??

So much of confusion and chaos is everywhere in Indian cricket because of the lack of media manager in the board and each and every person eager to give something or the other news (even if it is trash) to media in such a scenario!

Now Shah says that Both Zaheer and Munaf are available for selection!!

After having failed to appoint a coach for India before this tour, Borde appointed manager of Indian team for the Europe tour by BCCI.

After having had Raj Singh Dungarpur in Pakistan, I'm surprised they didn't ask Dr. W G Grace to get up from his grave and manage/coach team India. How else could you explain Chandu Borde's assignment. The BCCI is getting desperate!

Why the hell couldn't Venkat take up the job?

Good question.
Sandeep Patil seems to have a few enemies within the board. Would have been the ideal stop gap solution. But then again, a refusal would have put the board in an awkward position.

The fitness camp for the batsmen ended yesterday.

Fielding drills liven up final day

-Prasad happy with the commitment levels shown
-Camp for the team will commence here on Wednesday
-The last day of the camp included outdoor sessions

Bangalore: Quick steps sideways, a sharp jump, catch the throw-down, rifle it back and swivel immediately and repeat the catch-and-throw again.

This was one of the fielding drills that the players indulged in with some mixed luck as the fitness camp for batsmen wound to a close at the National Cricket Academy here on Tuesday.

There was the odd bit of banter and some sheepish grins as some catches went abegging and when a diving effort resulted in a fine catch, the applause was instant.

Touch of comedy


There was a touch of comedy too as fielding coach Robin Singh's intended edge to a waiting slip cordon, ballooned and nearly knocked out Gautam Gambhir, who was sitting adjacent to the nets, sipping his mineral water.

In the end all was fine while Robin laughed and the players got back to their routines.

The fielding drills were introduced to break the drudgery of fitness sessions and were monitored by Robin with assistance from trainer Gregory King and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad.

"Originally bowling and fielding was not part of these camps (at Mysore and Bangalore) but Robin Singh and I thought of having them briefly, just to break the monotony of the fitness schedules," Prasad said after the camp concluded.

Prasad was happy with the commitment levels displayed by the players during the course of the two camps at Mysore and Bangalore.

"We have a long schedule ahead in this particular year and we had to have these fitness camps for bowlers as well as the batsmen, just to keep them going so that they would last the duration of the long list of fixtures ahead.

"I know it's been hard on the players because we have had this fitness camp shortly after the Bangladesh tour was over and that tour wasn't easy, though it looked easy, because it was hot and humid out there and it took a lot out of the players.

Fantastic


"It is fantastic to watch the effort the players are putting in these camps. By having these camps we are ensuring that in case a player gets injured in the season ahead, we do have some players who can step in and who are fit," said Prasad.

As for the new fitness and fielding drills, Prasad said that players have lapped them up with enthusiasm. "It is not at all difficult to make the players aware of the concepts that trainer Gregory King had in mind. "The players were never short of enthusiasm. Now as far as these concepts with regard to fitness, speed, endurance and other related aspects are concerned, well these things have been dealt with in the last six to seven years. It may not have been there in the Nineties but now all the players are aware," said Prasad.

Weight-training


The last day of the fitness camp for batsmen included outdoor sessions and some weight-training in the NCA gym. Seniors like Sachin Tendulkar and V.V.S. Laxman mingled with the juniors while skipper Rahul Dravid, who was away in Delhi to attend the selection committee meeting, and Mohammad Kaif, who could not join the afternoon session, were conspicuous by their absence.

The camp for the team bound for Ireland and England will commence here on Wednesday afternoon.

V.R.V. Singh discharged


Meanwhile, seamer V.R.V. Singh was discharged from a private hospital here on Tuesday morning following his recovery from a suspected viral infection.

It may be recalled that V.R.V. Singh fell sick during the course of the bowlers' fitness camp in Mysore and was subsequently hospitalised. He was later shifted to a hospital in Bangalore.

THE SQUADS

One-dayers in Ireland:

Rahul Dravid (captain),
MS Dhoni (vice-captain),
Sourav Ganguly,
Gautam Gambhir,
Sachin Tendulkar,
Yuvraj Singh,
Dinesh Kaarthick,
Zaheer Khan,
S Sreesanth,
RP Singh,
Ajit Agarkar,
Piyush Chawla,
Ramesh Powar,
Robin Uthappa and
Rohit Sharma.

Tests in England:

Rahul Dravid,
Sachin Tendulkar (vice-captain),
Wasim Jaffer,
Dinesh Kaarthick (specialist opener) ,
Sourav Ganguly,
VVS Laxman,
Yuvraj Singh,
MS Dhoni,
Zaheer Khan,
S Sreesanth,
RP Singh,
Anil Kumble,
Ramesh Powar,
Gautam Gambhir (third opener),
Ishant Sharma and
Ranadeb Bose.

Sehwag, Harbhajan, Munaf and Pathan off ODI, Test roster

But this is the first article where I see Dinesh Karthik specified as specialised keeper!

Six players miss opening day of camp

June 13, 2007

Six players missed out on the opening day of the Cricket Skills camp for the players selected for the ODI series in Ireland which started in Bangalore at the National Cricket Academy today. Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, RP Singh, Piyush Chawla, Yuvraj Singh, and Ramesh Powar couldn't join the camp and all are expected to arrive in the city in the night.

The players had a three-hour session of bowling, batting and fielding in the afternoon. In the absence of Chandu Borde, the newly appointed manager of the Indian team, Venkatesh Prasad, the bowling coach, and Robin Singh, the fielding coach, are overseeing the camp. Team trainer Gregory King and physio John Gloster were also present. Even during the Bangladesh tour where Ravi Shastri was the cricket manager, Prasad used to take complete charge of the nets. It is learnt that Borde will not attend the camp.

The Indian board had conducted a bowlers' camp at Mysore from June 4-8 and a batsman's camp in Bangalore which concluded yesterday. Prasad had expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the two camps. "We wanted to keep the players going soon after the Bangladesh tour, which was tough because of the heat and humidity," Prasad said on June 12th.

"These camps were basically for improving fitness but me and Robin wanted to break the monotony and introduced batting and fielding sessions too, but briefly. In Mysore the players tried bowling at one spot and also some variations. In these eight days the players did core training, strengthening of body and built up endurance,' he said.

The players also took time off on Tuesday to interact with physically challenged children from 'Mathru Foundation', a charitable organisation, run by special Olympics medalist Malathi Holla.
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So there is no one to take care of batting skills? Who will make the plans? What are we doing to counter Monty and England pacers?