Team India have reached Dharamsala on Monday to play the first T20 match against South Africa on 2 October at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium.
They have opted for a boot camp ahead of the first T20 encounter, with the team undergoing intensive high-altitude training. Thus, the entire team have reached Dharamsala two days prior to their scheduled arrival date.
The decision to leave for the venue two days earlier was taken by the team director Ravi Shastri. During these two days, the entire team will be undergoing some serious drilling sessions, which will include obstacle courses, high-altitude trekking and barrier courses.
This programme was chalked out by the management so that the players are battle-ready for the energy-sapping tour against South Africa and the long season which is to be followed until the ICC World T20 2016.
"The players and the coaching staff will arrive in the city on September 28. Earlier, they had planned to come on September 30. The training programme is based on the drills of the Indian Army," the press secretary of HPCA Mohit Sood was quoted as saying by Times of India.
"After the Indian team came back from Sri Lanka, Ravi Shastri had a talk with Anurag Thakur - the president of HPCA, and requested him to grant the team necessary logistics for the high-altitude training. Anuragji gave a thumbs-up to Shastri's plan and told us (at the HPCA) to make sure that arrangements were made."
One of the national team selectors also supported the plan of action and stated that it would help the entire team under tough situations.
"The whole exercise is being done to help the team cope with and understand pressure situations, which they might find themselves in aplenty during the South Africa series and the season ahead that also includes the ICC World Twenty20," the selector said.
"Such activities make a sportsman mentally tough. There is no room for any negativity."
Click here to watch Team India undergoing high-altitude training.
