What do top batter Shreyas Iyer and speed ace Jasprit Bumrah reportedly have in common? Due to their individual recurrent back injuries, both of the Indian team’s key players are expected to miss a significant amount of the 2023 season. Iyer is unable to participate in the upcoming Australia series because of a recurrence of his back ailment, but speed demon Bumrah recently underwent surgery and will be sidelined for six months.
Virender Sehwag, a renowned cricketer, stated candidly that weightlifting has no place in cricket and that Indian players frequently suffer from injuries. The illustrious opener and former skipper of Team India claims that Indian athletes are becoming more prone to injuries as a result of their exercise regimens. Sehwag made a bold assertion, claiming that cricket greats Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Yuvraj Singh hardly ever experienced such setbacks in their illustrious careers. This at a time when Rohit Sharma’s Team India is hampered by back and hamstring injuries.
“Weightlifting has no place in cricket. You should instead practice the exercises that will make your skill better. You will gain muscle from weightlifting, but you will also experience more stiffness and soreness. Back, hamstring, or quadricep problems were never a factor for Aakash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni, or Yuvraj Singh in our era, according to Sehwag.
Sehwag further asserted that Basu Shanker, a former India performance instructor, used to create uniform training regimens for all Indian athletes. When asked about his prior interactions with Ravichandran Ashwin, who was then playing for Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sehwag said that the star all-rounder only developed a habit of using the clean and jerk because it was once in style.
“Basu Shanker created the same programs for every player during his lengthy tenure with the Indian team. Why should Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin participate in the same program? Ashwin told me he performed clean-and-jerk exercises when he was a member of the Kings XI Punjab because they were popular. Athletes practice for clean and jerk since they are young, but they still suffer injuries. Consider a bowler who debuts at the age of over 30. Due to this exercise, Ashwin and Axar both experienced knee issues, according to Sehwag.
Former India opener Sehwag, who is renowned for his explosive batting style in all game forms, acknowledged that players didn’t encourage weight training when he was competing. Virat Kohli, who is frequently credited with revolutionizing the fitness standards of the Indian team, was also the subject of an intriguing remark from the former Indian captain.We weren’t weightlifters back then, but we were still able to play cricket all day. The foundation of Virat Kohli may be this. Everyone, however, is not Virat Kohli. You must create a training regimen tailored to your individual physique, the former Indian opener said.
