Calcutta: Besides the change in temperature, the first batch of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which has reached South Africa for the IPL’s second edition, is having to cope with the difference in altitude.

While Calcutta, for example, is a mere nine metres above sea level, base Bloemfontein is as high as 1,395 metres. Accordingly, the first day of training, Friday, focused as much on pucca nets as on work-outs designed to accelerate the acclimatisation.

The Knights got down to business at the provincial capital’s showpiece cricket stadium, OUTsurance Oval, which used to be Springbok Park before the era of sponsors.

“Altitude is a factor and the players need to get used to the change... Some of the IPL venues are on a much lower altitude and, so, training in Bloemfontein should help us appreciably,” KKR’s team director Joy Bhattacharjya told The Telegraph.

The same training pattern could be followed for the next few days, leading up to the first warm-up match, against Free State, on Tuesday.

It’s significant that the Knights’ physical trainer, Adrian le Roux, is a South African.

Besides four Bengal players, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Ashok Dinda and Sourav Sarkar, others from India already there are Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Aakash Chopra, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sunny Singh and Shoaib Sheikh.

South Africa’s Morne van Wyk is around too.

According to Bhattacharjya, Sourav Ganguly (set to be retained captain), Mashrafe Mortaza and some of the others are expected on Monday. Brendon McCullum, Brad Hodge, Moises Henriques and the two Sri Lankans — Ajantha Mendis, Angelo Matthews — are due to reach after that lot.

One understands Ishant Sharma and Chris Gayle would be the last to report in Bloemfontein.

The KKR management had been hoping to have Mendis and Matthews from the very beginning, but Sri Lanka Cricket didn’t exempt them from an ongoing national camp.

Meanwhile, Bhattacharjya said that an effort was being made to “meet Allan Donald… not necessarily for help.”

The one-time South Africa spearhead hails from Bloemfontein, though he now spends much of his time in England.

Unless there’s a change in plan, the Knights will train till April 15/16, before heading for Cape Town, venue of their first match, on April 19.

Altitude of KKR venues
(in metres above mean sea level)

• Durban (4 matches) — 8m
• Cape Town (3) — 42m
• Port Elizabeth (2) — 60m
• East London (1) —125m
• Pretoria (2) —1, 338m
• Johannesburg (2) —1, 700m

Note: Calcutta is at 9m

Source: www.wunderground.com