Date:07/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/07/stories/2007120760072600.htm

Sport - Cricket

No compromise on quality: Shastri

Principal Correspondent

Bangalore: The National Cricket Academy Chairman Ravi Shastri declared that there will be ‘no compromise on quality’ in the activities of the academy. “If you want to go forward, quality is an important area. The NCA will be for the elite players, those who are in the ‘A’ teams, the under-19 sides and also the fringe players who are not in the Indian team. They will all get an opportunity to come here. It will be for those players who are just one step away from playing for the country,” Shastri said after the academy’s review-committee meeting here on Thursday evening.

Besides Shastri, the meeting was also attended by Dav Whatmore, NCA’s Director of Operations, along with committee members led by BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, M.P. Pandove, Ajay Shirke, Shivlal Yadav and others.

During the course of the meeting, former India spearhead Javagal Srinath was also nominated to the committee.

Additional support-staff

Shastri also hinted at the recruitment of additional support-staff like physio Paul Close and trainer Paul Chapman, who recently worked with the Bangladesh team.

“Yes we discussed these names. There will be a fast bowling coach, there will be trainers, there will be bio-mechanist, there will be someone who will handle mental skills as well. It will be a good place for a youngster,” Shastri said.

He added that even the practice pitches will be under scrutiny.

“There will be someone in charge to ensure that the pitches we get here are first-class. It is important for someone playing here that he gets good pitches,” Shastri said.

Shastri also mentioned that the NCA’s structure and training paradigm’s will be gradually replicated in the zonal academies.

He however refused to comment on Gary Kirsten’s appointment as the coach of the Indian team. “I was in the committee that selected Gary and he has been appointed. The chapter is closed. A week back I would have said that negotiations are on but now that he has been appointed, there is nothing more to say,” Shastri said.