PTI

Mumbai, Sep 17: Former India coach Greg Chappell, who quit the hot-seat in the aftermath of the World Cup debacle in March, is returning to the country to join an academy set up by the Rajasthan cricket association (RCA).

Chappell, along with bio-mechanist Ian Frazer, have been signed up as advisors by the RCA for the academy in Jaipur, RCA president Lalit Modi said in a statement on Monday.

The RCA centre of excellence would be operational in October, said Modi, who is also the cricket board's vice president. The academy will have five indoor pitches, a full video analysis system and 24 outdoor practice wickets.

It will accommodate 70 students and will have a state-of-the-art gymnasium provided by cybex, the us-based fitness equipment manufacturers, with recreational and eating facilities and electronic data library.

“The joining of Greg and Ian will take the Rajasthan cricket academy to the forefront of development of cricket not just in Rajasthan, but across India and the entire cricket-playing world,” Modi said.

Chappell was quoted in the statement saying he was delighted to take up the assignment. To be involved with identifying and training the talent of the future in Rajasthan is a wonderful opportunity, he said.

In the first phase, 110 students would be recruited in five batches of 22 from Rajasthan, Modi noted, adding, that each batch would be in training for two weeks and it would be for boys in the age group of 16 to 19 years. A programme for students from outside Rajasthan will be announced from November, he pointed out.

According to Modi, the programme RCA has designed with Chappell and Frazer was quite different from all existing ones. We hope that the method we deploy will change the way we train our future cricketers.

Chappell and Frazer have co-authored ‘The making of champions’, a book based on extensive research into talent identification and training methods and are to introduce these method in the academy.

“We look forward to introducing some of those methods to cricket in India with our work for Rajasthan cricket academy”, Chappell said. Chappell explained he and Frazer would introduce new techniques and methods as first class and international cricket is becoming demanding for players.

Training methods of the past will not be suitable for the player of the future who will need to be fitter, stronger and more resilient, more flexible.

Training programmes of and for the future will have to reflect that, the ex-India coach said.