Paddy Upton has joined India’s support staff as a mental conditioning coach under head coach Rahul Dravid in the West Indies ahead of the Men’s T20 World Cup later this year.
Between 2008 and 2011, Upton was part of India’s support staff as an assistant to Gary Kirsten – the then coach – in a similar capacity, a stint that culminated in Team India’s World Cup victory under MS Dhoni. Upton then joined hands with Kirsten for the South Africa team which became the No. 1 Test team in 2013.
A Cricbuzz report said that the 53-year-old has already joined Team India ahead of their five-match T20I series against the two-time champions.
It is learned that Upton’s appointment has been made on the recommendation of Dravid. The pair first worked during the latter’s playing career in the early 2010s and later at Rajasthan Royals and the then Delhi Daredevils, where they acted as mentor and coach respectively.
Upton has also served as the performance director of the South Africa team and later as head coach on the T20 circuit with Sydney Thunder (BBL) and Lahore Qalandars (PSL) in addition to his role in the IPL . Most recently, he acted as a ‘team catalyst’ at Rajasthan Royals, reaching their first IPL final after the 2008 season.
Notably, India have a hectic schedule ahead of them ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. Following a five-match series against West Indies, they will play a short ODI series in Zimbabwe, before white-ball assignments at home against Asia Cup Australia and South Africa in August.