Bangalore: The four-day batsmen’s fitness camp ended here on Tuesday without the presence of Team India captain Rahul Dravid and middleorder bat Mohammed Kaif.

Dravid missed the final day’s session, featuring fielding drills and a brief stint at the nets, as he had to attend the selection committee meeting in Delhi to choose the Indian squad for the tours of Ireland and England.

Kaif missed the morning session and was scheduled to make an appearance in the afternoon, but skipped that too.

Bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad said the four-day programme preceded by the bowlers’ camp at Mysore from June 4-8 was a continuation of the process set in motion by Greg Chappell during his stint as the national coach.

“We wanted to keep the players going soon after the Bangladesh tour, which was tough because of the heat and humidity. I know it was tough on the players but we wanted to continue the concept Greg had introduced,” said the former India pacer.

“The camps were held because of the long schedule for the Indian team during which players can get injured. When someone is called (as replacement for the injured player) he should be ready (for the challenges),” Prasad said.

“These camps were basically for (improving) fitness but me and (fielding coach) Robin Singh wanted to break the monotony and introduced batting and bowling sessions too, but briefly,” he said.

The players also took time out to interact with physically challenged children from Mathru Foundation, a charitable organisation, run by Special Olympics medallist Malathi Holu.