Preparation for a challenging tour like SA

[CoverDrive]

Ideal Preparation for a challenging tour like SA/Aus Compare England and India preparation for one of their toughest tours and you will realize why BCCI still has so much to learn inspite of making so much money. England have been in aus before the first Ashes test for 20-25 days where they played 3 practise games. Even their out of form batsmen like cook had chance get used to the conditions and look at how they are doing now. Anderson was considered to be a bowler how does well only in English conditions and look how well he has bowled. Infact they had better preparations than even the Aussies. On the other hand if it were left to BCCI we would have landed straight to the first test. Kirsten pleaded to get few days but I dont think this is good enough considering we have players like Raina and Pujara who do not have much exposure to such conditions. You cannot expect Sachin Dravid also to straightaway get used to the conditions after playing all the tests this year in the Sub-continent. This explains why England even though their players are nowhere near the class as ours seem so well prepared. This team is rightly the No.1 and it deserves better backing from the board as with a win in SA and later in Eng next year we have a chance to be known as one of the strongest batting units of all times and one of the all time great teams.

[putrevus]

Compare England and India preparation for one of their toughest tours and you will realize why BCCI still has so much to learn inspite of making so much money. England have been in aus before the first Ashes test for 20-25 days where they played 3 practise games. Even their out of form batsmen like cook had chance get used to the conditions and look at how they are doing now. Anderson was considered to be a bowler how does well only in English conditions and look how well he has bowled. Infact they had better preparations than even the Aussies. On the other hand if it were left to BCCI we would have landed straight to the first test. Kirsten pleaded to get few days but I dont think this is good enough considering we have players like Raina and Pujara who do not have much exposure to such conditions. You cannot expect Sachin Dravid also to straightaway get used to the conditions after playing all the tests this year in the Sub-continent. This explains why England even though their players are nowhere near the class as ours seem so well prepared. This team is rightly the No.1 and it deserves better backing from the board as with a win in SA and later in Eng next year we have a chance to be known as one of the strongest batting units of all times and one of the all time great teams.

You have point there but also on flip side look at what happened to Australia last time they came over to england 45 days early and still lost the series. Early arrival does not give any guarantees for tour success. Ideally I would like to see one practice game before any test series.BCCI if they want it now also can organize one tour game.

[Sachin=GOD]

going to SA 20-25 days earlier would have meant the loss of money generated from this New Zealand series and for the BCCI money is more important than getting the players acclimatised to the conditions in SA :((

[dhillon28]

excellent points by coverdrive, putreveus and sachin=.... but i think we should have two practice matches, one against the best first class team and the other against the List A team. If you look at our last tour to Aus, all batsmen failed in 1st test at MCG because we didnt play a single warm up game giving our batsmen no chance to acclimatise to conditions. As coverdrive says, this is the reason why batsmen who are nothing compared to our own are allowed to come up to a similar level. BBCI just care for money and im very scared that we wont win in SA for this reason.

[Ram]

One practice game would have been nice but its not a make-or-break thingy as it is made out to be. Years ago, our batsmen sucked at playing quick/short bowling and went to places like South Africa only once in 3-4 years. These days, we are far more capable handling short pitched bowling plus our batsmen tour there almost regularly. We had the whole IPL held there last year and this year, the Champions league was also held there. So its not like our batsmen are going to get off the plane, look around and say with a quizzical look ‘What the heck is this..!’ For these short tours, the mental side of the preparation is far more important than the physical side of it. You need all the players revved up and ready to go because a slow start could cost us dearly.

[Sachinism]

Cook said in his interview after the match that playing practice matches which were proper 1st class matches really helped. It wasn't like those matches where you have 14 players. He said everyone took it more seriously and it has made a difference

[putrevus]

excellent points by coverdrive' date=' putreveus and sachin=.... but i think we should have two practice matches, one against the best first class team and the other against the List A team. If you look at our last tour to Aus, all batsmen failed in 1st test at MCG because we didnt play a single warm up game giving our batsmen no chance to acclimatise to conditions. As coverdrive says, this is the reason why batsmen who are nothing compared to our own are allowed to come up to a similar level. BBCI just care for money and im very scared that we wont win in SA for this reason.[/quote'] We had whole ODI series and tour games before first test last time we went there, we got walloped 4-0 in odi seies and it had so demoralizing effect, Irfan Pathan had to be sent home. Injury concern will be also there if they play more tour games so let us see what happens this time.

[Laaloo]

India to practice on bouncy pitches The India Test squad, whose advance party arrives in South Africa on Monday evening, will prepare for their three-Test series by training on "hard, bouncy pitches with no lateral movement" to simulate conditions they expect to find through the series, particularly in Centurion, venue of the first Test. Their training will take place at the Gary Kirsten Performance Zone Academy in Cape Town. "We received a brief to prepare pitches that are similar to the Centurion surface," Martin Brand, the patron for the Claremont Cricket Club where the academy is, told ESPNcricinfo. As India will have no warm-up matches before the first Test, their coach Gary Kirsten has been keen to get the players practicing on South Africa's bouncy wickets to prepare them for the barrage of short balls expected from the home-team bowlers. India are expected to spend a week working in the academy to improve their record in South Africa, where they are yet to win a series and have won only a single Test in 12 attempts since 1992. The first batch of players to arrive in Cape Town will be Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav and Jaidev Unadkat, and the training will begin on Tuesday afternoon. "More groups of players will arrive after that and they have requested morning sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," Brand said. "We expect the full Test squad to be here by Friday and they will all have a final net session on Saturday." Friday's session will also include intensive fielding drills. The academy has prepared seven pitches: three on the lower oval and four on the practice field. They will provide fielders for the Indians on Friday and bowlers from the club and the Western Province amateur side throughout the week. What the Indians won't be getting is help from some of the frontline fast bowlers in Cape Town. Richard Pybus, who coaches the Cape Cobras, the city's franchise, said the likes of Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt and Monde Zondeki will not be bowling to the India batsmen at any stage. Kirsten, Paddy Upton and Dale Williams founded the academy in 2006, about a year before Kirsten started travelling with India in late 2007. "He got the job with India before the academy could really get going, so there hasn't been much going on here." Kirsten's brainchild has been lying dormant for some time but its first job is a big one. Brand and his ground staff have been getting ready to host India for the past week and are excited about the first assignment. "I can't say we know what to expect because it's the first time we are hosting a training camp here. This is the first time the academy has done something like this and been used in this capacity, but we are confident we will do a good job." http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/content/current/story/490684.html B->

[Sooda]

weve got out own pacemen to bowl at us thanks, dont need Zondeki etc

[dhillon28]

We had whole ODI series and tour games before first test last time we went there, we got walloped 4-0 in odi seies and it had so demoralizing effect, Irfan Pathan had to be sent home. Injury concern will be also there if they play more tour games so let us see what happens this time.

yeah but odis dont count as warm up games, and you cant fairly use any of the games under Gregg Chappel's leadership to now because he didnt have the respect of/in some cases even play any of our best match winners in recent times Zaheer/Harbhajan/Tendulkar/Sehwag/Gambhir/. How can a team be expected to perform when some of your best players are either not playing or unhappy with the coach causing disharmony in the team. These are the reasons we failed in SA last time, not warm up matches! Also id like to add, we won our first test match ever in south africa and could have easily drawn the series if it wasnt for dravids defensive captaincy. So all in all, without the warm up matches we probably wouldnt have won even the single test match.

[dhillon28]

One practice game would have been nice but its not a make-or-break thingy as it is made out to be. Years ago' date=' our batsmen sucked at playing quick/short bowling and went to places like South Africa only once in 3-4 years. These days, we are far more capable handling short pitched bowling plus our batsmen tour there almost regularly. We had the whole IPL held there last year and this year, the Champions league was also held there. So its not like our batsmen are going to get off the plane, look around and say with a quizzical look ‘[i']What the heck is this..!’ For these short tours, the mental side of the preparation is far more important than the physical side of it. You need all the players revved up and ready to go because a slow start could cost us dearly.

if you think that the champions league and ipl will help our players against the red ball, 3 slips and a gully, steyn and morkel bowling consistenly above 145kph and the seaming test tracks that they will prepare for us against..........then u sure see the game of cricket differently then our players will come the first day of first test match. Forget test cricket, did IPL2 in south africa even help us in worldt20 in england on fast bouncy lords track against fidel edwards, stuart broad and ryan sidebottom let alone in a test match which is of far higher standard?

[Ram]

weve got out own pacemen to bowl at us thanks' date=' dont need Zondeki etc[/quote'] Actually, net bowlers are really important. You don’t want to tire out your own pacemen by over-exerting them in the nets. So most teams try to get as high quality net bowlers as possible, especially since no amount of bowling machine can recreate the sensation of facing an actual bowler. If we were playing in India, then that isn’t really a problem since the bowlers from the local club/state would be just lining up to bowl at the Indian batsmen and try to impress them. It is a big issue when we tour abroad though.

[Sooda]

^True say but I imagine our guys will be bowling in the nets anyway, to get used to the necessary lengths and trying out bowling strategies...they can just bowl to our batsman :D

[fineleg]

Compare England and India preparation for one of their toughest tours and you will realize why BCCI still has so much to learn inspite of making so much money. England have been in aus before the first Ashes test for 20-25 days where they played 3 practise games. Even their out of form batsmen like cook had chance get used to the conditions and look at how they are doing now. Anderson was considered to be a bowler how does well only in English conditions and look how well he has bowled. Infact they had better preparations than even the Aussies. On the other hand if it were left to BCCI we would have landed straight to the first test. Kirsten pleaded to get few days but I dont think this is good enough considering we have players like Raina and Pujara who do not have much exposure to such conditions. You cannot expect Sachin Dravid also to straightaway get used to the conditions after playing all the tests this year in the Sub-continent. This explains why England even though their players are nowhere near the class as ours seem so well prepared. This team is rightly the No.1 and it deserves better backing from the board as with a win in SA and later in Eng next year we have a chance to be known as one of the strongest batting units of all times and one of the all time great teams.

I've mentioned similar point before, and I agree with you 100% Cover Drive. BCCI should have sent the entire Test squad (all 15/16) to South Africa a couple of weeks ahead of time and one or two practice matches with some proper SA domestic teams. England's preparation is paying off. They took the Ashes preparation very seriously, a lot more seriously than the Australians, and it is paying them rich dividends. BCCI is a greedy organization and it will kill the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg. Regarding net bowlers: BCCI should have done more to arm twist CSA into providing us the Zondekis and Kleinveldts. But as always, BCCI simply does not care! Its different that our bowlers will also practice, but that does not mean CSA does not avail us of net bowlers. In anycase, maybe BCCI needs to send a few more upcoming Indian bowlers to SA as 'net bowlers' in addition to Unadkat and U. Yadav. The primary bowlers ZK, IS, SS will have their own things to work on, and will focus on that. Net bowlers (Unadkat, U. Yadav) will focus on specific things that the Indian-batsmen want to practice. That will be the difference.

[dial_100]

The India Test squad, whose advance party arrives in South Africa on Monday evening, will prepare for their three-Test series by training on "hard, bouncy pitches with no lateral movement" to simulate conditions they expect to find through the series, particularly in Centurion, venue of the first Test. Their training will take place at the Gary Kirsten Performance Zone Academy in Cape Town. "We received a brief to prepare pitches that are similar to the Centurion surface," Martin Brand, the patron for the Claremont Cricket Club where the academy is, told ESPNcricinfo. As India will have no warm-up matches before the first Test, their coach Gary Kirsten has been keen to get the players practicing on South Africa's bouncy wickets to prepare them for the barrage of short balls expected from the home-team bowlers. India are expected to spend a week working in the academy to improve their record in South Africa, where they are yet to win a series and have won only a single Test in 12 attempts since 1992. The first batch of players to arrive in Cape Town will be Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav and Jaidev Unadkat, and the training will begin on Tuesday afternoon. "More groups of players will arrive after that and they have requested morning sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," Brand said. "We expect the full Test squad to be here by Friday and they will all have a final net session on Saturday." Friday's session will also include intensive fielding drills. The academy has prepared seven pitches: three on the lower oval and four on the practice field. They will provide fielders for the Indians on Friday and bowlers from the club and the Western Province amateur side throughout the week. What the Indians won't be getting is help from some of the frontline fast bowlers in Cape Town. Richard Pybus, who coaches the Cape Cobras, the city's franchise, said the likes of Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt and Monde Zondeki will not be bowling to the India batsmen at any stage. Kirsten, Paddy Upton and Dale Williams founded the academy in 2006, about a year before Kirsten started travelling with India in late 2007. "He got the job with India before the academy could really get going, so there hasn't been much going on here." Kirsten's brainchild has been lying dormant for some time but its first job is a big one. Brand and his ground staff have been getting ready to host India for the past week and are excited about the first assignment. "I can't say we know what to expect because it's the first time we are hosting a training camp here. This is the first time the academy has done something like this and been used in this capacity, but we are confident we will do a good job." http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2010/content/current/story/490684.html B->

What are you dancing for?? 3 of those 4 dont even be in 11. So practically only 1 player gets full practice before the first innings. I so much want to bat first as SA is little weak while batting second. But with no practice it will be unfair to ask Indian batting line up to click on day 1. Lets list out team who is reaching when .... Departing Monday the 06th Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat Departing Monday the 08th MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Departing Monday the 09th GG, Suresh Raina... What about the other players...can someone update this list....SALLA BCCI ki aisi ki taisii....money Mongers, these BCCI babus .:whack: Playing important players in the useless ODIs with the bottom most team.

[dial_100]

maybe BCCI needs to send a few more upcoming Indian bowlers to SA as 'net bowlers' in addition to Unadkat and U. Yadav.

You are right. Can BCCI send couple more of young guys. Get them acclimatized while providing enough practise to our batters if CSA doesn't provide enough.

[fineleg]

You are right. Can BCCI send couple more of young guys. Get them acclimatized while providing enough practise to our batters if CSA doesn't provide enough.

G. Kirsten has to beg BCCI again. BCCI does not do anything good on its own. :headshake: Apart from young players, even senior players like RP Singh or Dhawal Kulkarni can be sent to SA for this purpose - but since Ranji Trophy is going on, the seniors are busy...probably young players can be sent as net bowlers, and they will be enthusiastic to bowl to the likes of SRT, RD, VS.

[Feed]

Kirsten’s ‘3000 balls’ plan More... India in SA Kirsten’s ‘3 000 balls’ plan 2010-12-07 19:48Email | Print Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer Cape Town – India coach Gary Kirsten wants his keynote batsmen to each face “two to three thousand balls” under South African conditions in the lead-up to the first Test against the Proteas at Centurion from December 16. That is the target he has set for them, no doubt motivated by the knowledge that his No 1-ranked side will not have the benefit of a warm-up match before the three-Test series gets under way. Cape Town-born Kirsten began the process of acclimatising his troops with a small, advance group of the squad’s more rookie players – batsman Cheteshwar Pujara and seamers Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav – at Claremont Cricket Club here on a hot, cloudless Tuesday afternoon. The venue also serves as headquarters for his Performance Zone Academy, and the former SA Test star afterwards pronounced as “excellent” the net surfaces made available. They had true and decent bounce and good carry, which ought to be at least close to what the team can expect at SuperSport Park later next week. “It’s really just about getting the players used to much bouncier surfaces than they are accustomed to back in India,” Kirsten told Sport24. He was not shy to remind the 22-year-old Pujara, as he weaved out of the way of the occasional sharp bouncer, that “this is the medicine for the next six weeks” and the coach weighed in himself with a few “chucked” short deliveries. Kirsten also whizzed down a few softer-ball missiles with the aid of a tennis racquet. “I want each of our batsmen to receive 2 000 or 3 000 balls before the Tests start,” he said. “(Pujara) has probably already ticked off close to 500 in a couple of hours today.” Kirsten confirmed that the immeasurably more experienced Rahul Dravid had left India on Tuesday and was expected at Wednesday morning’s next session – another middle-order veteran in VVS Laxman also did the long haul on Tuesday. The full Indian squad is expected to be training together by Friday. This is very likely to be the last South African enthusiasts see of Dravid on our soil: the 147-Test veteran turns 38 in January. Cavalier opener Virender Sehwag had been tipped to start with the younger players at the Constantia venue on Tuesday, but Kirsten said he had been delayed by two days by “a bit of an illness”. Indian reports said Sehwag had picked up a viral infection.

[Sachinism]

500 overs each

[Sid]

Cavalier opener Virender Sehwag had been tipped to start with the younger players at the Constantia venue on Tuesday, but Kirsten said he had been delayed by two days by “a bit of an illnessâ€

hope he recovers soon