Indians may rope in shrink ahead of Sydney Test

Members of the Indian cricket team are likely to seek the services of a sports psychologist to counter the aggressive play of the Australians in the Sydney Test, which begins on January 2.

The tourists last night conceded Australia were "one-nil up in the mind games", but have vowed to come back "strong" in the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from Wednesday.

Interim Indian coach Lalchand Rajput yesterday told The Daily Telegraph that his team's struggling batsmen would consider a session with a shrink, but time was running out to do so before the New Year's Test.

"It's unlikely to happen now, but it's something we will look at later in the summer," he said.

New coach Gary Kirsten is expected to arrive in time for the third Test in Perth, and the former South African opener has already told the Board of Cricket Control of India about his desire for a sports psychologist.

The tourists spent some time with renowned Australian sports psychologist Dr Sandy Gordon during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, where they were beaten finalists.

"The players have had this before and it was good," Rajput said.

In a bid to find of peace of mind, the tourists had yesterday off and there is some chance they won't train in Sydney today.

A win in Sydney will not only allow Australia to equal their own world record of 16 straight Test victories, but will also ensure that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is retained - even though the Test series will have reached only the halfway mark. (ANI)

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