CHENNAI: Former India team physio John Gloster, who handles the fitness component of Rajasthan Royals, welcomes the move to have the IPL in September and insists the safety of the players and support staff is vital.
He feels that T20 requires a different kind of mindset and physique for the players to do well. In a chat with this daily, the Australian says that injuries are part and parcel of the game and states that recovery management is the key to success for teams in the shortest format of the game. Excerpts...
IPL looks to be held in September, your thoughts?
It will be a great thing to have IPL. We need to be prepared for the tournament. The safety of the players and support staff will be vital. It would have been sad to see a year go by without an IPL, but it is wonderful that it is happening.
How different is T20 from the other formats?
The biggest difference is speed. The noticeable difference we were able to log with the use of the GPS where the speeds are much higher. What we call high speed running (efforts). T20 cricket is about 30% more than Test cricket, so you need to prepare adequately for the speed of the game. So the focus will be training on the foundation skills.
Your advice to players...
A modern cricketer has to be strong and agile, but they also got to possess speed. All the training they’ve been doing during this lockdown has been focussed on building the foundation skills. So this is a good opportunity for them to build on that. Given that we don’t have much time to go back to working on some of the basics, this (lockdown) is a great chance for the players to work on stability, work on their basics — power and mobility, and ultimately like I said, building the platform, building the foundations. Once we all get together, we can start implementing speed training.
Many players tend to get injured during the IPL. What are your suggestions to stay injury-free?
If your preparation is good and if you’re are confident of your body, there is less chance of getting injuries. That comes from the understanding of each individual player, knowing the player intimately is vital when it comes to injuries. Also, the speed of the game, like I said, is so much higher so the players, while attempting to dive for balls (fielding), put more pressure on their bodies. We need to make the players more durable, therefore they need to be stronger. In order to reduce injury, we need to improve recovery.
Will a two-week camp help the players get in shape?
A minimum of two weeks as a combined group will be good, but that depends on what the players have been doing during the lockdown. In some areas, there is less restrictions so they’ve been able to get outside and running and bowling. In other areas like Bengaluru, there is very limited opportunity to get out and do any training.
How fit is the Rajasthan side and what is your mantra?
Fitness mantra is being prepared. Fitness mantra is understanding each individual and what they have been able to do during the lockdown. Like I said some have been able to do a lot and some unable to do much. We need to look at what each did for preparation and then work what needs to be done. One needs at least four weeks to prepare adequately. Fitness mantra for us is individual-based programming, strong foundation platform, speed, working on protocols (fitness) and so on.
Do you have a separate fitness regime for pacers?
Absolutely. Every player depending on what they do is different. Steffan Jones, a fast-bowling efficiency expert from England, works with us on the bowlers’ physical preparations. Then there is technical preparation. The whole physical preparation is overseen by Steffan Jones. So yes, there are individualised programmes for each bowler.
Who is the fittest player in the team?
Everybody. You just have to be fit otherwise you’ll get left behind in the game.
Has Virat Kohli, with his physique, taken fitness to a different level?
The good thing about Virat is that he is fitness conscious. The way he trains isn’t like how everyone else trains. Everybody has to train individually. Fitness is non-negotiable in the modern game of cricket. Virat has set the standard and if you want to compete on the international stage, you have to be fit.
Steve Smith is one of the few players to play all the three formats and looks fit, your thoughts...
Steve is a natural athlete. He has a solid foundation on fitness and he works on that. He is also a smart trainer. He understands that each format of the game requires a particular workload and works accordingly.