India focus on F's
Pallab Bhattacharya from Kolkata
As the Indian cricket team began a five-day conditioning camp here today in the run up to the tour of Bangladesh, fitness and fielding would be key areas of stress.In normal circumstances, a series against Bangladesh would have been considered an easy proposition but after the Tigers' victory over South Africa and India in the recent World Cup in the West Indies has changed such a projection. Indian team's administrative manager Surendra Bhave told reporters here that there would be general fitness sessions and not rigorous ones. The Indian team began the conditioning camp, to be held in two sessions every day, under the watchful eyes of manager Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh. It remains to be seen how Ravi Shastri, a former all-rounder, conducts the team's strategy as he is generally known to be close to the line of thinking of former Indian coach Greg Chappell who had emphasized on fitness and use of young blood. While fielding and fitness training would be held in morning session, batting and bowling in the afternoon, apart from time in the gym. The Indian team will be undoubtedly under pressure to do well in Bangladesh as it is reeling under severe criticism at home for its debacle in the World Cup, which was compounded by controversy over players' contracts with the Cricket Board and curbs on commercial endorsements. The Indian team's early exit from the World Cup led to resignation of Chappell and prompted the cricket board to ask national selectors to emphasize on young talents for the tour of Bangladesh after the veterans like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag failed in the Caribbean. The selectors dropped Sachin and Sourav Ganguly from the team for the limited over series in Bangladesh and dropped Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan from both ODI and Test teams. Batsman Majoj Tiwari of Bengal is the sole new face in the 15-member Indian team for the ODI series in Bangladesh while spinners Piyush Chawla Ramesh Powar, Delhi's opening batsman Gautam Gambhir and R P Singh have been recalled to the teams. Board sources said a key yardstick in team selection has been the presence of three left-arm spinners in the Bangladeshi side.
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