Rahul Dravid's THIS decision before T20 World Cup 2022 could turn out to be a masterstroke for India

India head coach Rahul Dravid will complete one year in office by the time the T20 World Cup 2022 arrives. Ravi Shastri's last tournament as the head coach was the same tournament in 2021 after which Dravid took over. Dravid has had an average year so far. While India dominated, in Tests, at home, they suffered abroad, losing Test series to South Africa and then the fifth Test to England. But India have done well in the shorter formats, beating New Zealand at home, drawing with South Africa and then beating England in England in ODIs and T20s.

But it is also true that Dravid had to deal with change in captains and a dymanic playing XI in one series after the other as India are trying to give chances to as many candidates as possible with an eye at the T20 World Cup. India are going to leave no stone unturned to win the mega event set to take place in Australia later this year. It has been nine years since India won an ICC event and Dravid, Rohit Sharma wants to finally win the competition.  

Dravid may have already played a masterstoke by bringing in Paddy Upton to the team setup. Upton is not new to Indian dressing room. He played assistant to former head coach Gary Kirsten for a long time and was an influential figure in India winning the 2011 World Cup in India. Rahul and Paddy's association goes back to former Indian captain's playing days. Paddy then became mental conditioning coach of Rajasthan Royals when Dravid was captain cum coach. Paddy was Delhi Daredevils head coach in 2016 while Dravid was the mentor of the team. That is why one feels that Paddy's employment may have a lot to do with Dravid's role as head coach. He might be wanting his services to help Indian players deal with mental challenges ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022. 

.@PaddyUpton1 is back with #TeamIndia as mental conditioning coach. _ _

Here's what he had to say about his role with the team & his bond with Head Coach Rahul Dravid as he begins his stint with the team. _ _ - By @28anand

Watch _ _ #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/IYU8pCEKQj

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 27, 2022

The role of a mental conditioning coach becomes important especially for a big tournament. Paddy is a big name in this field and has worked with various international teams before. He has also written a book called 'The Barefoot Coach' where he writes about the role of a mental conditioning trainer and its impact on the team performance. With so much pressure on the Indian players ahead of the tournament, Paddy's presence will help the players recover from mental fatigue in quick time. 

Every team these days travels with a mental conditioning coach as mental burnout is a serious challenge today in global sports, especially in post-pandemic world. Paddy's presence does not guarantee India the cup but by bringing him, BCCI is ensuring they are taking every step to help India get ready for the T20 World Cup.