CHENNAI: Players not converting ones into twos and twos into threes. Fast bowlers taking more than the usual time to get back to their run up.
Fielders moving slowly and misfielding balls they would usually field. Players like Virat Kohli dropping multiple catches in a single T20 match. Batsmen checking with umpires if they can have a water break every other over.
This has been a common theme over the last six days in the hot and humid conditions of the United Arab Emirates where the IPL matches are finishing way beyond the stipulated time.
Players with expanded waistlines have been ridiculed on social media, overlooking the fact that they had limited options to keep themselves fit because of the lockdown. While a handful of cricketers had the luxury of having gym equipments at home, the story is different for the vast majority.
Several Indian cricketers were told to look for alternate arrangements to keep the fitness drills going. A few even resigned to going up and down staircases while others used chairs as an alternate for dumbbells.
Though the IPL franchises had asked their strength and conditioning coaches to look after their players before they assembled, they were well aware of the restrictions. This IPL is different for various reasons.
Keeping in mind the #newnormal, quarantine, bio-secure bubble and social distancing has to be respected. Thus, the players' routines have been affected. It has led to reduced recovery periods and an increase in stress levels. It is also important to bear in mind the most of the players started training normally only after reaching the UAE.
Even if a few players don't seem to be at their optimum level, Ramji Srinivasan, the strength and conditioning coach of Indian team from 2009-2013, believes it is harsh to call them unfit.
“They don't have to look like Bollywood stars to be fit. There may be so many reasons for them to gain weight. Not doing exercises alone is not a contributor. It can be stress, it can be lack of workout options and some of them might be genetically loaded, where they can put on weight even if they eat little. They wouldn't have been able to access certain type of food during lockdown. All these factors contribute,” he said.
One of the other factors that is overlooked is also the stress factor. Life under the bio-secure bubble hasn't been easy for players where they have numerous thing to worry about. In most cases, they are alone in hotel rooms without any company. Though players now have access to gyms, Ramji believes support staff have little to offer as the tournament has already started.
“They have adapted to (a) certain life and it is now totally different. It is like solitary imprisonment, where they come out of bubble, play and go back. This is not your conventional tournament. This time, the way the game is played is different, how players are managed is different and the way players are approaching the game is different. You can't do much once the tournament starts. You get into maintenance and injury prevention mode straightaway. And you have to concentrate on recovery too,” Ramji said.
Cricket isn't as physical as sports like football, basketball or tennis as it relies more on skill sets and on the mind, fitness only adds to the improvement of players.
The isolation aspect and playing without fans too seem to have a role. Experts in fact believe as the tournament progresses, isolation fatigue could become a concern. Ashok Ahuja, who was head of sports medicine NIS Patiala, believes the bio-secure bubble only makes it tough on players.
“They are returning to practice. In a short time, it's not possible to hit peak fitness. Naturally, it is affecting their skills too. It will be slower to start with and it plays in the mind as well. When you have lack of fitness, strength, agility and flexibility get affected and chances of injuries also become high. They are expected to stay in isolation and that fatigue will come certainly because of fear. The restrictions under bio bubble just add to it,” he said.