Hardly 1%, Gary Kirsten Did 99% Of The Work – S Sreesanth On Paddy Upton's Impact On India's 2011 World Cup Campaign

Former India National Cricket Team pacer S Sreesanth, who was a member of India’s squad that won the Cricket World Cup 2011 under the leadership of MS Dhoni, has said that then-coach Paddy Upton hardly had an impact on India’s title-winning campaign and it was then-head coach Gary Kirsten, who did most of the work.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Tuesday, announced the appointment of Paddy Upton as the mental conditioning coach of the India National Cricket Team.

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Speaking to mid-day, S Sreesanth said that Upton is back in the team just because he had worked with current India head coach Rahul Dravid in past.

“Hardly one per cent. Gary (Kirsten) did 99 per cent of the work. He [Upton] was just an assistant to him. He is back because he has worked with Rahul bhai earlier [at RR]. Rahul bhai will surely use him well because he is a good yoga teacher,” Sreesanth said.

Former India cricketer added that Kirsten was a wonderful coach and he had started planning for the World Cup 2011 in 2008 itself.

“Gary was a wonderful coach. Each and every player will agree with this. He had this vision when he came in for the CB Series in 2007-08 [Australia]. I clearly remember Gary telling me, [Suresh] Raina and a few others while fielding that whoever has the ambition to win the 2011 World Cup, this [the CB Series] is where it starts. So, he had this vision, which was amazing,” recalled Sreesanth, who featured in 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20Is.”

I don’t think Upton can do wonders – S Sreesanth

Former India National Cricket Team pacer further said that Upton cannot do “wonders” for the side. He added that if India manage to win the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, the entire credit should go to the head coach Rahul Dravid and the players.

“I don’t think he [Upton] can do wonders. If we win the T20 World Cup, it will be because of the players and the experience of Rahul bhai [Dravid]. We have a great unit, but I don’t think that the man who you are talking about [Upton] is going to make much difference,” Sreesanth said.

“Even when you play domestic cricket, you have to be mentally fit. So, the conditioning is happening [already],” added Sreesanth.

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