Going about the grind with a grin

By Our Sports Reporter

BANGALORE, MAY. 14. Whoops of delight erased the odd grimace while the Indian probables' conditioning camp got into full swing at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. ``We are trying to make it (training) fun, competitive and physically demanding,'' said John Wright. And Monday morning blues was shrugged aside as the players started the day with a yoga session lasting close to an hour.

The `conditioning-camp-is-a-chore' stereotype was left redundant as the players sported impish grins despite expending all their energy in setting new benchmarks in fitness. Messrs Wright and physio Andrew Leipus devised games which kept the players tuned to fitness. And the fun element reached a crescendo when the players laughed out aloud in their last session and the crowd on cue joined in.

The morning session was devoted to nets and lending their expertise was Erapalli Prasanna and Rodney Marsh. Prasanna watched Harbhajan Singh and Sarandeep Singh while Rodney Marsh, on a visit to the NCA, had a tete-a-tete with the three wicket keepers in the camp - Sameer Dighe, Deepdas Gupta and Ajay Ratra.

``We had a good interaction and it was fun,'' Rodney Marsh, the legendary Aussie wicket-keeper, said. Dighe, Deepdas Gupta and Ajay Ratra stayed back while the Aussie maestro held court during the lunch break. Venkatesh Prasad and Sunil Joshi also participated in the camp while Anil Kumble turned his arm over for a couple of deliveries and gladdened hearts.

Fun and games might well have been the afternoon schedule's motive but beneath the laughter, a clear focus on prime fitness and fielding was evident. ``We need to work on our aerobics and we have a long season ahead. We still have some work to do in aerobic endurance,'' said John Wright.

The recurring theme of fitness lingered as the coach said, ``We got to work on our success in the last series. Here we are working on basic skills and fitness and the boys are enjoying it. Unfortunately Rakesh Patel has a knee problem. He is an upcoming lad. And Yuveraj Singh is fit, he has cleared our tests.''

Amidst the talk on the series victory against Australia, Sourav Ganguly's poor form did etch worrylines but Wright was quick to defend his captain. ``Sourav is a World class player. He has excellent averages in both forms of the game. Every player goes through a lean phase. He seems to be in good nick in the nets here and he has been working hard,'' Wright said.

Team composition evoked measured replies from Wright. ``Yes we have just two openers but Ramesh and Das handled McGrath and Gillespie well. In bowling, well it is the selectors who will decide, I prefer around three spinners and four seamers,'' he said.

The team for the Zimbabwe tour will be announced on May 17 and the camp will conclude on May 18. Until then M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will resonate with pounding feet and some laughter while the players gear for a long season ahead in the International circuit.

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