Elongated break might lead to fall in players’ performances, feels Sudarsan VP
Sudarsan VP, a former trainer at the NCA in Bengaluru, believes that players’ fitness might considerably degrade due to the ongoing break and feels that their performance might be affected due to the same. Sudarsan feels that players who do high-intensity training will be affected by the situation.
As the world goes into lockdown mode, Sport braces itself to keep its doors shut further, with no competitive action expected to take place in the next 45 days. While the situation can be frustrating enough for a bystander, it significantly impacts the athletes, too, as it means that they are barred from any sort of high-intensity outdoor activity and training.
Players across the world, with assistance from their trainers, are resorting to home-confined low-intensity training, and Sudarsan VP, a former trainer at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, believes that it could be detrimental to them in the long run. Sudarsan noted how a player’s performance goes down by 5% if he doesn’t train and had his doubts on whether everyone would be at the same level once normalcy is restored.
"It’s good for the cricketers to spend quality time with family. However, if you look at the cricketing aspect, when they have taken a long break from the game and training, a lot of de-training can also take place,” Sudarsan told TOI.
“Normally with any elite athlete, if they don’t train for more than three days their performance goes down by 5%. With this long break, they can extend their longevity by eliminating breakdown due to continuous games. But when they come back, will they have the same level of fitness as before? The guys who are used to high intensity and high volume of training are currently doing far less what they used to.”
However, Biju George, former fielding coach of the Women’s team, is of a completely different opinion and stated that the break gives times for the athletes to self-introspect, and labeled the ongoing break as a golden opportunity for the players to reset and refresh themselves mentally.
“These are times when you find your core group. For Indian players, it will 100% help them to prolong their careers. Most of them are over 30. It’s the mental exhaustion that takes a big toll. Staying away from families can have its effect,” George said.
“This is a good time to reflect on who you actually are. When these cricketers come back, they will be fresher.”