Camp will have long-term benefits, says Dravid

Rahul Dravid pronounced himself satisfied after the Indian team's three-day stint at the Pegasus Institute of Learning in Doddaballapur, about 60km away from Bangalore. The facility, which stresses on the Outward Bound Learning experience, is often used by executives of various companies, and Dravid said that the team had benefited from the experience.

"From our perspective, it was a chance to go out and do some physical activity but more importantly the activities we did over the last three days challenged us mentally as well," he said. "You had to use your mental capabilities to complete tasks and it also involved a lot of team work to get the job done. It gave us a chance to get away from it all. Not many boys have the opportunity to train and be on their own without a lot of people around them, without having the press constantly photographing them."

Dravid suggested that the gains from such an exercise would be seen more in the long run. "Every camp has that element which is directed towards the short-term, in this case the triangular series [in Sri Lanka]. We have used this camp to give people some new experiences and new opportunities.

"The challenge for us is not only about helping them grow as cricketers but also to help them grow as people with some of these opportunities that we give them. Let's be honest, nothing we do in one day or two days, like yoga or going out and doing something, will change anything overnight but it gives you something new to think about, it gives you an opportunity to experience something that you wouldn't have experienced otherwise."

The team lived in tents, with mobile phones switched off from 8am to 8:30pm, and did several exercises that the armed forces use as part of their training. Dravid said that the focus had been on strengthened team bonds, despite criticism from former greats that such endeavours were merely superficial. "I think sometimes in a cricket set-up, there are certain experienced players and certain less experienced players but when we go out in a group like this and do these activities, you know everyone is equal," he said. "I mean, I have no more or no less experience than a Sreesanth and Tendulkar has no more or no less experience than a Munaf Patel when it comes to the things we did there. Everyone starts on a equal footing and hopefully the boys will gain something out of this.

"Most of the activities we did there were something which none of the guys had done before. I have seen some reports that we did rock-climbing and rafting and all that but we didn't do any of that. Maybe if we had stayed for a week, we might have been climbing Everest with the way things get exaggerated. It's a set-up which has army drills and the physical aspect of it is something that we as athletes can do, but it also challenges you mentally to finish the task."

When asked if Sachin Tendulkar, on the comeback trail after surgery on a torn shoulder muscle, had struggled with any aspects of the camp, Dravid said: "Sachin responded well and he did everything that was asked of him. Obviously we had our physio to advise us in case anything we did had a risky element in it but he participated in every single thing we did there. He was very keen and looks in very good shape. More importantly, he looks in a very good state of mind and that is most important to me."

With yoga, tai-chi, a swim and gym work scheduled for later in the day, Dravid stressed that none of these could be see as a magic formula. "If you did one session of yoga, you are not going to change the world or your body," he said. "But it is just a new experience. The NCA has been using tai-chi and they have had some good reports about it so we wanted to experience it. I have had no prior experience and I am looking forward to the session today. Everything benefits but you have to do it continuously. It is up to individuals."

All the talk had been of team bonding, but according to Dravid, that was hardly dependent on climbing exercises or life in the great outdoors. "It was a nice experience to stay in tents and do new things but team bonding does happen when we are playing, when we are at the camp, when we are at the nets. It did happen here too but that was not the primary thing. I think we are pretty confident about the way the team is shaping up. We didn't go there just to bond but we went there to give the guys something new."

Dravid emphasised that there was more to fitness than an experiment like this, and added that the cricket-skills camp which starts on August 6 would be just as vital in the build-up to Sri Lanka. "Going away for three days will not improve our fitness amazingly. All these things are experiences which you have to do constantly. It takes hours and years for athletes to reach the level that they want to reach. Cricket skills start on the 6th and we will have more match simulated situations, centre-wicket practices and there will be five days in Sri Lanka as well. There will be a practice match and four practice sessions. The boys really respond well to centre-wicket practice because they are used to the nets all the time."

When asked if he would recommend that such camps be used again in future, Dravid's response was cautious. "It depends on situations and what we are trying to achieve. It did help us in the last three days and in the future if we come across a situation in which something like this might help us then we might do it again. For all you know it could also be something different.

"People should understand that these are just tools to help people think differently. For instance, you can go out and study and get a B.Com degree but can you quantify how it helped you. It is not easy to quantify. I can tell you honestly that with more experience I have become a more confident player but I can't tell you honestly that it helped me score 1000 more runs or helped me win one more series.

"You cannot say that they have done tai-chi, so now they will win the Sri Lankan series."