Continuing the team-bonding activities that have been in vogue ever since former India captain Rahul Dravid started mentoring the country’s junior teams, the World Cup-bound under-19 squad is spending a couple of days at the Kabini Forest Safari at the Nagarhole National Park.
Saba Karim, general manager for cricket operations at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief operating officer Tufan Ghosh said entire exercise has been designed in consultation with NCA director Dravid, who mentors the India-A and under-19 teams.
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“It’s a two-day team-bonding exercise and not a boot camp or anything. If I remember, earlier an India-A team had also gone to the Nagarhole National Park. We keep having these activities for the under-19 and A teams. This is not for the senior team, though which has its schedule,” said Karim.
The Nagarhole National Park is in the Mysore district of Karnataka.
Ghosh revealed that the BCCI has engaged with a company that organises such team-bonding activities, including tiger safaris.
“The boys in the India under-19 team come from various parts of the country. This kind of team-bonding exercise helps them build relationships, grow trust which is required in team environment. Also, certain activities are designed which can test how they react to different situations,” he said.
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“The boys enjoyed a tiger safari today. I am told that they spotted a couple of tigers at various points. A company which designs these kind of programmes consulted the coaches as well as Mr. Dravid to formulate a set of activities,” Ghosh added.
When Dravid was chief coach, the under-19 batch of 2016 that featured Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan went trekking as a team-bonding exercise.
The under-19 World Cup will be held in South Africa in January.
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