Too much cricket having an adverse effect

THE injuries to some of the key cricketers have confirmed my fears about too much cricket having an adverse effect on the game. It is not just the cricketers but the game itself which will feel the impact.

You look at the career of some of the great cricketers and you would realise that injuries have been part and parcel of the game, especially if you happen to be a high intensity performer. Someone like Sachin Tendulkar or Anil Kumble or V. V. S. Laxman, or Javagal Srinath.

And then there are many players from other countries who would have been injured at various points in their careers but chose to fight. I have read how greats like Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson conquered injuries and had wonderful careers with their determination and courage. This placed them in a very special category of great cricketers. Imran Khan was another cricketer who battled injuries and won many a battle for his team on the cricket field.

There can be different reasons for a sportsman sustaining injuries, and the injuries too vary from sport to sport. Boxers have been known to die from severe blows to the head; one has heard of sportsmen collapsing on the football field; of athletes developing crippling injuries in the latter part of their careers. Cricketers are no exceptions.

Before I proceed, I must share my admiration for someone like P. Gopi Chand, the badminton star, who, I was told, has emerged a shining example of a player overcoming injury to become a champion. This humble star was said to have suffered a knee injury which at one point threatened his career. This was much before he had won his All-England title. In a sport like badminton, injuries can be severe because the intensity is high all the time and requires the best from the players. You have to be physically very fit to excel in badminton. The same applies to sport like basketball and squash, where speed and agility are the key factors.

So, Gopi Chand's saga should remain an example for sportsmen battling injuries. It cannot be easy I know but then when support comes from various quarters, your efforts find the right way.

Look at how Tendulkar and Kumble have managed to recover from injuries. I know it was not easy, especially in the case of Kumble who had a shoulder injury quite similar to the one sustained by Srinath a few years ago. For bowlers, a shoulder injury can be very demoralising because it affects your style in a big way. Even after recoveries, some bowlers have the fear of injury at the back of their mind but I am sure Srinath and Kumble have left those bitter memories behind.

It will be like opening a new chapter for all those who are making a comeback from injuries. For Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, there will be vital lessons to be learnt from the fact that they have been on the injury list so early in their careers.

The factors for cricketers incurring injuries so often these days are many but the prime reason is the amount of cricket that is being played these days in the name of professionalism and popularising the game. Cricket does not need any more popularisation and it will be in the interest of the cricket administrators to plan the calendar better.

It is physically impossible to maintain your focus and fitness on a regular basis. When you are playing the game at the highest level, it can be tempting not to miss any matches because you are also worried about your place. But in the process you also tend to overwork and push yourself to a situation where the body begins to feel the load. When not at your best in terms of physical fitness, it is quite likely for a cricketer to suffer phases of inconsistency. When you are not giving your best, your fear of losing the place in the team dominates your approach and does influence your performance.

So, physical fitness is understandably very significant and very essential but then the administrators too have a duty to ensure that they do not contribute towards swelling the list of injured cricketers. Many times the players whisper privately about the number of matches being forced upon them. These matches may swell the coffers of the administrators but they also take their toll on the players.

Not just cricketer but any sportsman would dread an injury. And if the injury happens during the season it leads to frustration too. I can well understand the mindset of Tendulkar, sitting at home and watching his team play in Sri Lanka. How he would have loved to be out there with them but it was a rare experience for this champion batsman to sit out. As it was for Kumble.

What I would like to see is some kind of a policy where we rotate our players. We have to realise the fact that our best players cannot always be playing against all oppositions. There are times when some competitions provide the platform to groom youngsters and for the seniors to rest and recharge their batteries. The rotation policy has become imperative because we have to protect the players from being burnt out. There is no harm in some seniors being rested against weak oppositions or in matches of no consequence to allow the youngsters to get the feel of it. It also allows the seniors to plan their bigger battles better instead of losing focus by concentrating hard all the time.

When I look back at the career of some cricketers, I marvel at their ability to avoid injuries. They had long careers and yet managed to remain fit and free of injuries. Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev are examples of consistency and fitness. I never saw them complain on account of injuries. This is what the youngsters of today would do well to remember. Honing your cricketing skills is important but so is keeping your fitness.