 "Unbeaten at 40")
Sachin Tendulkar turned 40 earlier this week. The master blaster has been playing international cricket for an incredible 24 years now. Not many cricketers can sustain their careers beyond the age of 40. Among his contemporaries, Rahul Dravid retired at 38, as did Ricky Ponting. Both these cricketers didn't cite fitness issues as a reason for retirement but it did have a part to play.
A cricketer's fitness is judged on several components: body size and composition, agility, flexibility, reaction time, cardiovascular endurance, strength and power, balance and coordination. John Gloster, former physiotherapist of the Indian team, said in an interview that the secret of Tendulkar has been that "he listens to his body and doesn't complicate training." But surely age has to be factored in. Questions have been raised about Tendulkar's form and experts have speculated that it may be his body, rather than his form, catching up with the star batsman.
REFLEXES: "For a 40-year old batsman, the most important thing is his hand-eye coordination," says Anant Joshi, a doctor who has worked on Tendulkar's fitness over the last decade or so. Joshi says that it is a natural process. "As you age, the reaction gets slow." Tendulkar's critics, and even Sunil Gavaskar, have pointed out that his reflexes have slowed down in the last couple of years - Tendulkar has been getting clean bowled more often. Reflexes do get slow with age and you can't defy that, says Gloster. "It's inhuman to expect perfect reflexes, and for his age, Tendulkar has pretty sharp reflexes," he adds.
FITNESS: Agility is not a problem with Tendulkar. While many in their early 40s would struggle to stretch and train, Tendulkar hasn't shown any decline in his speed. BCCI's fitness trainer, Ramji Srivinasan, said that Tendulkar is the fastest runner after MS Dhoni in the team. "He is as fit as anyone in the team," he was quoted in an interview. Watch Tendulkar run between the wickets and it's obvious that he hasn't lost pace. Even while fielding, Tendulkar still has a strong arm. However, the body aches a lot more at 40 and the niggles last longer. "It's different for each individual and Tendulkar is perhaps a rare case," says Joshi.
BALANCE: Tendulkar's height works in his favour in maintaining balance and coordination even at the age of 40. "A smaller body helps you maintain better balance and footwork," says Gloster.
INJURIES: Body strength plays a crucial role in any sport as it helps players avoid acute and chronic injuries. "Sachin understands his body better than others and pushes it to the limits he knows it can take," says Gloster. Tendulkar has rarely suffered chronic injuries - there was a back trouble in 2005 but he has managed it exceptionally well, says Joshi. The sports doctor, who has started a special sports medicine clinic in Mumbai, says that barring the wear and tear of playing cricket for 23 years, Tendulkar has been a model for fitness.
Ryan Giggs, English football's most decorated player who plays for Manchester United, is still going strong at the age of 40. Giggs took up yoga in his 30s to enhance his physical endurance and stamina. Even Shane Warne, who played in IPL at 41 took up yoga and reaped the benefits. Speaking of Tendulkar, Gloster says, "His mental strength also plays a vital role in his fitness." Tendulkar is known to do pranayam, yoga, meditation and aerobics to improve his agility and fitness.
The little master has defied age for almost five years. "Most batsmen start losing their fitness at 35 or 36," says Gloster. "It's a testament to his physical and mental strength that he has carried on till 40, and hopefully more."
A cricketer's fitness is judged on several components: body size and composition, agility, flexibility, reaction time, cardiovascular endurance, strength and power, balance and coordination. John Gloster, former physiotherapist of the Indian team, said in an interview that the secret of Tendulkar has been that "he listens to his body and doesn't complicate training." But surely age has to be factored in. Questions have been raised about Tendulkar's form and experts have speculated that it may be his body, rather than his form, catching up with the star batsman.
REFLEXES: "For a 40-year old batsman, the most important thing is his hand-eye coordination," says Anant Joshi, a doctor who has worked on Tendulkar's fitness over the last decade or so. Joshi says that it is a natural process. "As you age, the reaction gets slow." Tendulkar's critics, and even Sunil Gavaskar, have pointed out that his reflexes have slowed down in the last couple of years - Tendulkar has been getting clean bowled more often. Reflexes do get slow with age and you can't defy that, says Gloster. "It's inhuman to expect perfect reflexes, and for his age, Tendulkar has pretty sharp reflexes," he adds.
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VISION: Typically, the vision of most 40-year-olds starts to get affected with age and very few have perfect vision. More than 60 per cent of people suffer vision problems once they turn 35. From mid-40s, most people are prone to suffer from short sightedness and the vision gets affected.
FITNESS: Agility is not a problem with Tendulkar. While many in their early 40s would struggle to stretch and train, Tendulkar hasn't shown any decline in his speed. BCCI's fitness trainer, Ramji Srivinasan, said that Tendulkar is the fastest runner after MS Dhoni in the team. "He is as fit as anyone in the team," he was quoted in an interview. Watch Tendulkar run between the wickets and it's obvious that he hasn't lost pace. Even while fielding, Tendulkar still has a strong arm. However, the body aches a lot more at 40 and the niggles last longer. "It's different for each individual and Tendulkar is perhaps a rare case," says Joshi.
BALANCE: Tendulkar's height works in his favour in maintaining balance and coordination even at the age of 40. "A smaller body helps you maintain better balance and footwork," says Gloster.
INJURIES: Body strength plays a crucial role in any sport as it helps players avoid acute and chronic injuries. "Sachin understands his body better than others and pushes it to the limits he knows it can take," says Gloster. Tendulkar has rarely suffered chronic injuries - there was a back trouble in 2005 but he has managed it exceptionally well, says Joshi. The sports doctor, who has started a special sports medicine clinic in Mumbai, says that barring the wear and tear of playing cricket for 23 years, Tendulkar has been a model for fitness.
Ryan Giggs, English football's most decorated player who plays for Manchester United, is still going strong at the age of 40. Giggs took up yoga in his 30s to enhance his physical endurance and stamina. Even Shane Warne, who played in IPL at 41 took up yoga and reaped the benefits. Speaking of Tendulkar, Gloster says, "His mental strength also plays a vital role in his fitness." Tendulkar is known to do pranayam, yoga, meditation and aerobics to improve his agility and fitness.
The little master has defied age for almost five years. "Most batsmen start losing their fitness at 35 or 36," says Gloster. "It's a testament to his physical and mental strength that he has carried on till 40, and hopefully more."