Upton is India's cricket coach in Kirsten's absence

Colombo:India’s conditioning coach Paddy Upton has taken over as the coach of the team after head coach Gary Kirsten left for South Africa to be with his ailing mother.

Following Kirsten’s departure to Cape Town, Upton, a first class cricketer in South Africa, was introduced to the media as the coach of the Indian team for the series deciding Test at Colombo’s P. Saravanamuttu Stadium.

Upton was confident that India will turn things around in Colombo after squaring the three-match series 1-1 in Galle. “There's a lot of expertise within the team. There are five guys who have captained India, so it will just be a case of coordinating that expertise that's already in the team,” the 39-year-old told reporters here.

“All players are aware of their responsibility and roles in the team. Not only the players, but also the management. It's a case of doing just what we have always been doing,” Upton added.

India suffered one of their heaviest defeats in Test cricket when they lost the series opener in Colombo by an innings and 239 runs, but the next Test was of complete contrast as they won by 170 runs with a day to spare.

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“We can take a lot of heart from it. It was an exciting game,” Upton said speaking of the Galle Test. “We really do have a strong batting line-up. And there are some batsmen due for runs."

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