CHENNAI: Pacer V Yo Mahesh is the latest cricketer from the Tamil Nadu side to join the list of injured players. The 31-year-old suffered a knee injury against Assam in the Vijay Hazare Trophy while fielding off his bowling. He is ruled out of the tournament. Prior to this, the team suffered big blows as mainstream pacers T Natarajan and K Vignesh picked up injuries. While Vignesh suffered a Grade 1 tear on his left thigh, left-armer Natarajan injured his fingers.
This raises the question as to why Tamil Nadu pacers are prone to injuries. The team’s physical trainer Ramji Srinivasan says there is more than one factor leading to injuries. “Not doing the right type of exercise, lack of focus on stability and balance are the main reasons for this problem. Not training the muscles in the correct sequence and angles is another factor. Proper recovery protocols, proper hydration and other aspects of fitness in training are essential. A combination of these factors leads to poor fitness.”
Even skipper Vijay Shankar missed two matches due to a cut in the right-thumb webbing. Srinivasan, who has also trained Narain Karthikeyan, says it is important to have a proper recovery system to be fully fit. “Vijay is one of the fittest players with loads of dedication. Injuries are part and parcel of any sportsman’s career and one has to put up with them. Importantly, the support system has to be in place to bring back the player to the field and make sure the same injuries don’t occur again.’’
Former India trainer Srinivasan has introduced the ‘Catapult’ fitness tracking system on a trial basis for better assessment. “It’s a GPS tracking system to get various fitness and physiological parameters for data collection and empirical evidence to assess performance. I used it way back in 2011 when I was with the Tamil Nadu team. Now, we are using it on a trial basis for our players. We are awaiting the team management’s nod. We have yo-yo tests but I would say that it is just one aspect of fitness measurement. It is not a comprehensive test for all parameters. 2 or 2.4K test would be apt for cricketers than yo-yo to measure the threshold zone specific to the game,” said Srinivasan.
Finally, what is his mantra to be a fit player? “Mind and body should be in sync for any activity. Need to work on both physiological and psychological aspects of fitness to be a world beater.”
Matches in Chennai
At MA Chidambaram: Bengal vs Tamil Nadu
At IIT-M: Gujarat vs Jammu and Kashmir
At SSN College ground: Haryana vs Tripura
ashok.v@newindianexpress.com
