Too much cricket or poor fitness levels? Why are Indian cricketers becoming increasingly prone to injuries?
In a meeting with Business Standard some years ago, Kapil Dev had said that the reason why we see so few all-rounders like him in the game today is because the current crop of cricketers does not have his mental strength, stamina and fitness. Sanjay Manjrekar in his latest column on www.cricinfo.com made a similar observation about Kapil Dev. He wrote: “Kapil was a superb athlete, and admirably, it was an advantage he never took for granted. He may not have given you the impression of being a thinking batsman, but when it came to his bowling, fielding and general approach to fitness, there was no one quite as sharp.” Dev had a long career which lasted close to 16 years; he played 131 Tests and didn’t miss a single match because of injury. While some might think of Kapil as an exception — both in terms of his talent and fitness — it’s something that modern day cricketers can learn a lot from.
While India have been embarrassed in the two Test matches against England, a lot of questions have also been raised about the fitness levels of the Indian players. Zaheer Khan’s hamstring troubles, Virender Sehwag’s shoulder and Yuvraj Singh’s niggles have almost become a member of the Indian cricket team.
Too much cricket, a busy schedule, IPL — all have been blamed for the fitness troubles that have plagued the Indian team off late. But John Gloster, a former physio of the Indian team, believes a lot depends on the individual as well. “Players burning out can be easily controlled if the players and the management know how to handle it,” he says. Citing the example of Khan, Gloster says that ankle injuries are something most fast bowlers suffer from. Gloster doesn’t believe that too much cricket is to be blamed for the injuries; he says lack of acclimatisation or even lack of preparation is the reason. “I think the players found the conditions difficult to handle and that is pretty evident,” he adds.
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In 2011, Indian players are supposed to take to the field for about 110 days. Compare this with the schedule of players 20 years ago; it’s almost 70 per cent more. According to ICC’s Future Tour Programme, India are set to play 95 Test matches, 170 bilateral or triangular one-day internationals along with 31 bilateral T20 internationals till 2020.
Khan has had a tough time with injuries over the last few years. But Gloster doesn’t believe that Khan is injury-prone. Someone like Ashish Nehra is unfortunate with injuries, he adds. T A Sekhar, former head of MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, has been around long enough to see Indian bowlers breaking down time and again. In the ’90s it was Javagal Srinath who suffered shoulder injuries. Now Nehra spends more time on the treatment table than bowling in the nets. “Our bowlers sometimes come back too early from injuries and then break down again,” he says. A fast bowler suffers more wear and tear than a batsman or a wicket keeper. But where exactly does the fault lie? Sekhar believes that it is a case of poor management on the part of the players as well as the authorities. “A lot of players come back from their injury lay-offs looking unfit rather than fit,” says a former national selector.
There’s often confusion over players’ fitness as well. Gautam Gambhir was selected for the Caribbean tour only to be ruled at the last minute over a shoulder injury which he was carrying during the IPL. Gambhir’s injury raised the club versus county debate and while Gambhir denied that he hid his injury, questions over how IPL is affecting players were raised. Sekhar says that IPL shouldn’t be blamed. “It’s a tournament which requires a lot of travel and causes fatigue but players should know how to handle such situations,” he says. He also believes that most IPL teams have an excellent support staff, including physios who take care of the players. “I think blaming IPL is just a lazy excuse,” he says.
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A study commissioned by Australian Cricket Board in 2009 had revealed that any given point of time, about 15 per cent of international players were nursing injuries. That number due to the packed schedule of international cricketers has certainly increased. While injuries are a common occurrence in the world of sport, how you manage them is the key, says Gloster.
Gloster thinks that the management needs to monitor player’s fitness in the off season as well — a point which former England captain Nasser Hussain raised while commentating during the last test match. Hussain said that England team management keeps tabs on those players too who are on the fringes of the team selection. What they eat, how they train and whether they are following the fitness schedule or not, everything is monitored.
Injuries have always been part and parcel of the game, but off late they have often been ignored as India has been doing very well. For the first time in three years, the team finds itself in a spot of bother and rightfully questions are being raised. Gloster says that apart from focusing on the members of the team, BCCI should pay attention to those who are recovering from injuries. “Players have to look after themselves but the Board needs to lay down certain fitness norms for the players on the fringes as well,” he says.
Gloster, who worked for three years with the Indian team, believes that BCCI needs to have a bigger team looking after players’ fitness. He believes that one physio alone cannot manage the player database for fitness. “At the end of the day, the player and the physio know best how to take care of themselves,” he adds.
