November 19, 2007	Monday	Ziqa’ad 08, 1428

JAIPUR, Nov 18: Twenty20 cricket will place higher physical demands and mental toughness on players than one-day cricket did when it began in the 1970s, according to former Australian skipper Greg Chappell.

Chappell, who quit as India coach in March following their One-day World Cup debacle, is back in the country to head an academy for players discovered on a nationwide talent contest.

He said the focus would be on preparing youngsters with the Twenty20 version of the game in mind. “The cricketer of the future is going to have more demands placed on him than ever before, physically and mentally, to be able to adapt to the three distinct formats at the international level,” he told reporters.

Chappell has built a military-style obstacle course at the academy in Jaipur as part of his training programme. “I believe cricket is going through a very exciting phase at the moment,” he said. “Probably the only comparison I can make is World Series Cricket in 1977 when it broke in Australia.

”The introduction of 20-over cricket, the IPL (Indian Premier League) coming in, it is going to change the face of cricket.

The Indian board has launched the IPL, a franchise Twenty20 league, due to the version’s soaring popularity after India’s surprise World Cup win in September.—Agencies