Physical trainer Adrian Le Roux's abrupt exit seems to have made the Indian cricket board wiser, with the powers-that-be deciding on a longer contract for physiotherapist Andrew Leipus.
Leipus has been on an annual contract since he joined the team in 1999. The Board of Control for Cricket in India extended it to another year after the World Cup in order to cover the 2003-2004 season. But, the Le Roux episode has deeply impacted the Board, which, sources say, now wants to give Leipus a two-year term to preempt the possibility of him quitting.
The proposal for a two-year contract for Leipus has been mooted by BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who has argued that a longer contract could also elicit more commitment and loyalty from the physio.
Not that Dalmiya's proposal has met with much opposition. "He (Dalmiya) has informally spoken to Leipus about it and the proposal should be ratified by the working committee soon," the sources said.
Leipus, who hails from Australia, but is based in South Africa, will be in India later this month to train Indian physios at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
It wasn't clear yet if coach John Wright too will be given a similar two-year contract. His contract was extended by a year after the World Cup.
