Paddy Upton, the coach of the India men’s team’s mental focus and conditioning, will not have his contract extended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Rohit-led team India will be soon travelling to Bangladesh for 3 One-Day Internationals and 2 Test matches (which are a critical challenge, considering the ICC World Test Championship). Upton won’t be travelling with the full-fledged India squad that will go for Bangladesh.
The BCCI hired Upton in July after head coach Rahul Dravid asked for a mental conditioning coach with the T20 World Cup in mind. Upton is 53 years old. The South African joined the team for India’s tour of the West Indies and was expected to stay till the end of the T20 World Cup. And the BCCI has now opted not to renew Upton’s contract after the team lost in the playoffs.
Earlier, BCCI fired the whole senior men’s selection committee, which was headed by former India fast bowler Chetan Sharma, in an unprecedented move. The board announced in a press release that it was accepting new applications for the five national selector positions and had set a deadline of November 28.