Upton reveals how Dhoni's unique punishment ensured players turn up on time

Upton revealed former coach Anil Kumble introduced a ten thousand rupees (Rs 10,000) fine which the person who was late would have to pay before Dhoni added his own twist to it

Former India mental conditional coach Paddy Upton, in his recent book ‘The Barefoot Coach in Kolkata’ has revealed about former India skipper MS Dhoni’s unique step to make his teammates abide by the timings and the schedule. Upton revealed former coach Anil Kumble introduced a ten thousand rupees (Rs 10,000) fine which the person who was late would have to pay before Dhoni added his own twist to it. “When I joined the team Anil Kumble was the captain of the Test team and MS Dhoni was the captain of the ODI team. We had a very self-governing process. So we said to the team ‘is it important to be on time for the practice and team meetings?’ Everyone said yes it is. So we asked them if anyone is not on time is there anything one should give up? We discussed it amongst ourselves and the players, and eventually, it was left to the captain to decide,” said Upton. “In the Test team, Anil Kumble said that the consequence would be a ten thousand rupees (Rs 10,000) fine which the person who was late would have to pay. And then we had the same conversation with the one day team and there also MS (Dhoni) said that ‘yes there should be a consequence. So if somebody is late, everybody will pay ten thousand rupees fine!’ Nobody was ever late from the one day team again,” added the South African. Upton also said Dhoni’s real strength is ‘his calmness and composure’. “His (Dhoni’s) real strength is his calmness and composure, regardless of the situation of the game. Being such a strong leader, using his level-headedness in tough situations, he gives the other players permission to remain calm and composed. That I think is the real strength that he has,” said Upton during a media event for his book The Barefoot Coach in Kolkata.