Lillee to join fast-bowlers' camp

Dennis Lillee will be joining the fast-bowlers' camp for the Indians on Saturday (July 2) at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The move has been initiated by Greg Chappell, the new Indian coach, who was quoted as saying in The Times of India that Lillee's presence would be beneficial as "he has an astute knowledge of Indian bowlers and bowling conditions". Lillee has been a coach at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, where he has worked with most of India's current crop of bowlers.

TA Sekhar, also a coach at the MRF Academy, will be joining the camp in Bangalore as well. "Chappell is focussing hard on various aspects involved in handling the bowlers," Sekhar said. "This includes their performance, psychology and fitness-levels. Lillee has been with them [the fast bowlers] for quite some time. He has been working on various aspects of their bowling and therefore to have him at the NCA will be an asset."

The ongoing camp in Bangalore includes both established fast bowlers and those who are on the fringes. Jaiprakash Yadav, one of those who belongs to the latter category, was clearly thrilled to be at the camp. Back in India after a stint of league cricket in England, Yadav told The Times of India: "It's a wonderful experience to be here. It doesn't bother me that I had to miss the rest of my county matches. This is a great opportunity to work under Chappell."