New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) Baseball coaches from the US will hold a series of clinics and camps for trainers and players in five Indian cities from Nov 4 to Dec 8, the organisers said Thursday.

As part of its 'envoy programme', Major League Baseball International (MLBI) will send coaches to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Imphal.

The programme, developed by MLBI in 1991, utilises top high school, college, and professional baseball coaches selected on the basis of their experience, expertise and passion for teaching the game of baseball to culturally diverse audiences in countries throughout the world.

First Pitch, a New York and Imphal-based organisation created to develop baseball in Manipur, and the US embassy in India will co-host this programme to upgrade the level of coaching in Manipur as well as conduct introductory coaching programmes in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

"With its enormous reach and ability to influence, the programme is vital to the long-term growth of the game and is an integral part of our overall mission to internationalise baseball," said Paul Archey, senior vice president of MLB, in a statement.

Lauding this initiative, US Ambassador in India David Mulford said: "Baseball is to America what cricket is to India. As sports enthusiasts, the Indian people may one day embrace baseball as they have cricket and other sports."

Said Muriel Peters, chair of First Pitch: "There are currently over 25 sports clubs with baseball players and teams in Imphal. Although Manipuris have been playing the game for decades, there is little infrastructure and no formal instruction, equipment or uniforms.

"What these people do have is great joy in the game and tremendous athletic ability. It is this enthusiasm in such a remote corner of India that gave us the impetus to create First Pitch," Peters said.