KOCHI: Everyone knows that Sanju Samson really comes alive during the Indian Premier League, and those effortless sixes are one of the most satisfying sights in cricket. With the IPL set to get under way in the UAE from next month, Sanju is hard at work, and helping him get battle-ready and reach peak physical condition is his former college friend and fitness coach Amal Manohar. The duo studied together at Mar Ivanios College in Thiruvananthapuram and their shared love for sports forged a friendship.
After going their separate ways once college finished, Sanju went onto carve out a career in cricket while coaching turned out to be the calling for Amal, with fate bringing them together during the Covid-19 pandemic. Amal was a promising 400m hurdler training under renowned coach P B Jaikumar at the Sports Authority of India centre in Thiruvananthapuram when a serious knee injury ended his career at the young age of 22. However, Amal didn’t let that incident discourage him and decided to pursue a career in coaching.
“I’ve always had a passion for coaching and when I realised that I couldn’t carry on as an athlete, I felt entering coaching right away will help me get a head start in the field and achieve something,” said the now 26-year-old.He did the American Council on Exercise certification and also completed a coaching course from the National Institute of Sports and was working in Bengaluru when Sanju got in touch with him.
“We started on a trial basis but then he liked it and our chemistry was good. During such a situation (referring to the Covid-19 outbreak) when so many restrictions are there, maintaining fitness is very important because there are limited options. We’ve been working together for the past three months or so. I’m not focusing on his game part because that is different and he has that covered. I’m more like his specialised fitness coach who focuses on strength and conditioning,” said Amal.
Sanju himself expressed happiness at working with Amal. “I feel great while training with Amal as I believe he is one of the best trainers I have trained with, in Kerala. Maybe, the 15 years he spent as an athlete have made him what he is today. Being an athlete himself, the training routines and programmes he did must have been very tough and intense and the courses he did as a coach has made him the best around,” said Sanju.
