India’s fielding coach R Sridhar reveals that they are preparing a four-phased training module for the country’s elite cricketers, who can attain peak match fitness with four to six weeks of training once the training camp commences. During a recent chat with PTI, he elaborated on how players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah will be training to get ready for the rigors of international cricket.
Sridhar explained, “I think if you have a camp for 4-6 weeks, we can bring them to peak match readiness…fast bowler needs around 6 weeks, batsmen might take a bit less time. Once we get a date (on the start of national camp) from the BCCI and approved by the government of India, we can start working backward (starting from scratch). It’s pertinent that we move in right manner forward. Don’t want to look too much ahead.”
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Sridhar stressed on workload management and warned that pushing too hard would only cause injuries. He said that it will be around the fourth week that match-intensity training will start and then slowly, the players will enter the zone where they get match ready.
The fielding coach explained, “Once we get to the fourth week when high volume-high intensity training starts, the hands will get used to hard balls coming at 140km an hour, 130km an hour, that’s when match-training will start. The sharpest minds will take six weeks to get into Test match mode. Definitely, there would be different intensity level, (it will vary) from player to player.”
As of now, each of the centrally contracted players is following a fitness program given to them by the senior team’s Strength and Conditioning coach Nick Webb. Sridhar has been instrumental in bringing innovation in the Indian team’s fielding practice and he does have a “few things on his mind”.
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Talking about the same, “Here are few things on my mind and when we go back and start the camp, basically my mind is working on how to plan the sessions once we get back. In a phased manner, we will incorporate a lot of drills, external props would be used to increase their reflexes, reaction drills, deviation methods, all those things, I have a few things and once the camp starts, it will be there for everyone to see.”
