MS Dhoni’s fine ensured none was late for practice and meetings, says Paddy Upton
Getty
Paddy Upton has stated that MS Dhoni had implemented a fine of Rs.10,000 for every team member if any of the players was late for practice or meetings. Upton was the Mental Conditioning and Strategic Leadership Coach of the Indian team from 2008 to 2011, the same time when Dhoni was the ODI skipper.
Paddy Upton has worked closely with the Indian team as he was the Mental Conditioning and Strategic Leadership Coach from 2008 to 2011, during Gary Kirsten’s tenure as the head coach. India had even won the World Cup under his tenure.Â
When Upton joined the Indian camp, Anil Kumble and MS Dhoni were the skippers of the longest and the shorter formats respectively. The 50-year-old opened up about the role of the skippers in a self-governing process to ensure no player was late for the team meeting as well as practice sessions.
"When I joined the team Anil Kumble was the captain of the Test team and MS Dhoni was the captain of the ODI team. We had a very self-governing process. So we said to the team 'is it important to be on time for the practice and team meetings?' Everyone said yes it is," said Upton at a media event on the launch of his book “The Barefoot Coach’, reported IANS.
"So we asked them if anyone is not on time is there anything one should give up? We discussed it amongst ourselves and the players, and eventually it was left to the captain to decide," he added.
Upton went on to reveal the unique idea implemented by Kumble and how Dhoni improvised on it.
"In the Test team, Anil Kumble said that the consequence would be a ten thousand rupees fine which the person who was late would have to pay. And then we had the same conversation with the one day team and there also MS said that 'yes there should be a consequence. So if somebody is late, everybody will pay 10,000 rupees fine!' Nobody was ever late from the one day team again," he revealed.
Dhoni is regarded as one of the finest finishers and readers of the game. The South African also reiterated the fact that the former skipper’s real strength is in his calmness and composure.
"His real strength is his calmness and composure, regardless of the situation of the game. Being such a strong leader, using his level-headedness in tough situations, he gives the other players permission to remain calm and composed. That I think is the real strength that he has," he concluded.
