India gear up for Malaysia challenge

Indian players took a deserved break after claiming a rare test series victory in the Caribbean in July and have now adopted innovative methods to prepare for a busy schedule that will culminate in the World Cup in March and April.

The team regrouped last week after their commando training in early August. Coach Greg Chappell, steering the players away from the routine of net practice, then got them to hit a golf ball with a stump to sharpen timing and do exercises to enhance concentration.

"It is just a chance to give people different experiences," captain Rahul Dravid told reporters on Thursday.

"If you keep following the same routine, sometimes people can become a bit stale and

Dravid was confident India would shine in the Sept. 12-24 series in Kuala Lumpur.

"It is going to be a very challenging series," he said. "Australia is obviously the best team in the world. We haven't done well against West Indies and it is a good chance for us to correct that."

"We will play some good tough cricket."

Dravid was happy the commando training stint came before Australia's own boot camp, held late last month to toughen players for the upcoming Ashes series.

"I'm just glad we did it before Australia because if they had done it before us (critics) would have said we were copying Australia," he said.

India will play two practice games in Chennai before leaving for Malaysia.