The Indian cricket team could soon have a mental conditioning coach.
Newly-appointed coach Gary Kirsten, who will formally take over the high-profile job in March, is keen on having Paddy Upton on the support team, according to a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The working committee of the BCCI is likely to ratify Upton's appointment at its meeting in Mumbai on December 16.
"Kirsten wants to have Upton in the support staff. The matter will come up for discussion in the Working Committee meeting. His appointment would have to be ratified by the Working Committee," the source informed on Thursday.
Upton, Kirsten's school friend, currently works as a mental conditioning coach at Kirsten's academy in Cape Town. He was also a fitness trainer with the South African cricket team between 1994 and '98 and worked with the Western Province rugby team. He quit to concentrate on the psychological side of the game and became a mental conditioning coach.
Although India did not have a full-time mental conditioning coach in the past, previous foreign coaches John Wright and Greg Chappell had sought the services of specialist sports psychologists for brief stints during their tenure.
While New Zealander Wright turned to eminent Australian sports psychologist Sandy Gordon to interact with the players, Chappell approached West Indian Rudy Webster.
The 40-year-old Kirsten had talked about including Upton in the support staff during his interview with the BCCI coach selection committee on November 26, saying he could add value to the team.
The source said the two-year contract offered to the former South African opener is identical to the one given to Chappell.
"The terms and conditions as well as the financial package is almost the same as offered to Chappell," he added.
If that is the case, Kirsten will get an annual basic salary of approximately Rs 74 lakh, besides other perks.
He will be given a daily allowance equal to that of a player during matches and get an annual travel allowance of Rs 860,000, a share of the logo money and a fixed amount for communication expenses when with the team.
