A UNIVERSITY of Winchester psychologist is putting future England international cricketers to the test.

Sports and exercise psychologist Dr Stewart Cotterill, research and teaching Fellow at the university, flies to India on Monday (Nov 19) to work with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

He will work at a training camp in Mumbai and Pune with young players to help them perform under pressure in hostile conditions.

Dr Cotterill said: “India has been chosen as the destination for the camp as it is widely acknowledged that English players do not perform particularly well in the sub-continent.

“The camp is really about exposing the players to Indian conditions such as pitches and climate as well as local players to help develop their games. Also it’s useful to be in the same part of the world as the full England team for players who get called up.”

He added: “Sport generally, but cricket specifically, has a very strong mental component to performance. The environments are not normal and as such players need to develop enhanced strategies and skills to be able to cope with, and excel in, these environments. “Also, as you get closer to the top of the tree you are more likely to experience failure, so having strategies to cope with this is important.”

Dr Cotterill’s book, Team Psychology in Sports: Theory and Practice, was published earlier this year and he is currently co-authoring another book on the psychology of cricket.

He has worked as a consultant for 12 years in cricket, rugby and football along with individual athletes in golf, athletics and tennis.

The test series began last Thursday (Nov 15) and runs until December 19, with England’s last victory in India in 1985.