If not for the lockdown enforced by COVID-19 pandemic, Biju George would have been busy with the IPL as the fielding coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The postponement of IPL has confined George to his home this summer.
The former fielding coach of the Indian women's cricket team is a fitness freak and does daily workouts for nearly three hours at home. He also keeps a tab on what his trainees (around 90) at the SAI's Regional Coaching Centre do to maintain their fitness during this lockdown period.
"Detraining can happen in two or three weeks so it is imperative for them to maintain a certain level of fitness and game sense. The trainees have a WhatsApp group. We have a trainer Akhil in the group and some trainees follow the fitness programme charted out by him. Some have their own personal trainers and train accordingly. But all of them post videos of their drills twice a week in the group. They discuss their doubts with me. I keep messaging them and do follow ups. There is also an exchange of ideas and articles on fitness and cricket are discussed,'' he says.
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George adds the biggest problem the cricketers will face after the lockdown is a decline in their sharpness on field.
"The long lay-off can lead to problem of sighting the ball while taking high catches. To avoid any such problem, I have told my trainees every day to track fast moving objects like birds from the terrece or from the open ground. To maintain their focus, I have asked them to concentrate on faraway stationery objects and nearby objects for sometime. These are things which I have learnt from my own experience and quite useful,'' he says.
George feels IPL is an important tournament for many fringe players like Sanju V. Samson. He says it is imperative that BCCI conducts at least a shortened version this season.
He also wants the Kerala Cricket Association to be proactive by conducting webinars for coaches and support staff during the lockdown period.
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