The 3 new members of the support staff have been handed a three-year contract © PTI
Indian cricket team’s support staff is set to be revamped before the beginning of India’s tour of Sri Lanka next month, where the side will play three-match Test series. The support team that was well settled during the reign of Duncan Fletcher will see three new members as their part at least for the next year. While Australia’s Patrick Farhart will join as the physiotherapist, Shankar Basu and Arun Kanade will come on board as strength and conditioning expert and masseur, respectively. WATCH: Virat Kohli asks for fans’ support for India tour of Sri Lanka 2015
According to a report from Cricinfo, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have handed all three have been a one-year contract, with Kanade already in the office with the commencement of India’s tour of Zimbabwe earlier this month. Farhart and Basu are assumed to take charge in Sri Lanka. The team expected to reach Sri Lanka ten days before the start of the first match, so the duo will have enough time to get familiarize with the Test side. Photo: Suresh Raina holidaying in Nainital
Farhart replaced Nitin Patel, who resigned due to personal reasons, had a very impressive CV, having close to three decades of experience in the field. Besides working with major rugby and football teams Down Under, Farhart has also worked for the Australia, New South Wales and Hampshire teams. For the last couple of years, he was the physiotherapist for Twenty20 franchises Sydney Sixers and Kings XI Punjab.
Basu has been appointed as trainer of the India squad in the place of VP Sudarshan, who has preferred to be restricted to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. Having worked with the NCA earlier, Basu, currently the Royal Challengers Bangalore trainer, is no new man to most India players. READ: Sarfaraz Khan signs 2 Crore deal with Sunil Gavaskar’s company
Ramesh Mane, the first full-time masseur of the Indian team is being replaced by Kanade. Mane, who was an integral part of the India entourage for the last decade, was popular among players so Kanade has a tougher job ahead of him.