MIND YOUR CONDUCT
Team india Looked A Dedicated Lot Trying
To Follow BCCI's New Disciplinary Code
Dambulla: The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) zero-tolerance approach to indiscipline seems to be paying rich dividends, if the Indian cricket team's new approach here is anything to go by.
Two days before they play Pakistan in their Asia Cup. the Indian team's transformed attitude to discipline and fitness seems to have taken everyone by surprise.
The change, say insiders, can be attributed to the new stern approach of the team management, which has enforced a strict code of conduct that is to be followed at all times, on and off the field, by the players.
Even coach Gary Kirsten, usually friendly with the players, has been told to toughen his stance, say sources."Don't spare them,"is the new message that has been delivered to Kirsten. He has been observed intensely grilling the boys during training sessions and even the 'optional practise' sessions have been done away with.
Breaking free from some recent, unsavoury controversies, Dhoni's men now appear enthused and dedicated. The team even surprised onlookers by breaking into a jog after their game against Bangladesh and running three kilometres to the entrance of the team hotel!
It was an unusual sight and a happy departure from recent trends involving brawls and fitness issues.that fielding, form and fitness were the three most important prerequisites.
Perhaps for the first time, these guidelines are being stringently applied, and the change is there for all to see. Partying is out of the question, and loitering at late hours is considered a breath of the code.
Fattening foodstuff and colas are not allowed in the dressing room. The team management has also scrapped red meat from the diet. Partying, for one, is allowed only to celebrate a victory.
The task of minding the boys has fallen on working committee representative Ranjib Biswal, who was manager of the Indian team for the dismal World Twenty20 campaign.
Biswal also prepared a report in the wake of the infamous brawl in the West Indies that prompted the BCCI to issue show cause notices to some players. Biswal is the manager here too and is making sure players are following the code of conduct.
On Thursday, the players didn't have the regular nets session but they played football, did some catching practice and spent a lot of time training. "You have to be focused or you are not fit to play for India," a source said.
This is in keeping with the management's new, aggressive 'result-oriented' approach.The BCCI believes 'bad attitude' needs to be shed immediately. So far, the new tough approach seems to be working.
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