Euphoria over India's greatest victory abroad is yet to settle down. Yet, it is time for some introspection. Injury is a part and parcel of any game, but the recent Australian tour has witnessed the worst injury crisis ever. Virtually one can make a team of 11-injured players, a few injured prior to the series and another few injured during the series!Following causes can be traced for the spate of injuries to our cricketers.- Indian Premier League (IPL) - 2020. There was not enough time for fatigued players to recuperate before the crucial Test series.
- Lack of training and spike in workload.
Pandemic took away 7 months of practice. Especially our medium pacers hadn't bowled enough prior to the grueling test series. They could not withstand sudden surge in workload.
-Hostile bowling from Australian speedsters aimed at body and limbs of batsmen, which can't be called an illegitimate weapon.
Our players had to take the blows on their bodies and limbs injuring themselves. Not wearing armed guard proved fatal for a couple of players.
India's first ever genuine fast bowler who served for long, Kapil dev played 131 Tests without an injury break (he missed his 66th Test, not because of injury) stretched over 16 long years. Moreover he was a fine all-rounder too, who bowled mind-boggling 4623.2 overs in Tests, without injury.
The big question is - how?-During Kapil dev's period (1978-94), load on players was not this much. Present day players play about 140 days of international cricket including IPL, in a year. This combined with grueling practice and fitness sessions adds to the stress.
-Kapil dev had ideal height, weight, muscle, strength and flexibility. During the first ever scientific fitness tests conducted on players during 1990, Kapil dev at 31, was among top 3 most fit players.
-The science behind his bowling action was ideal, causing minimum strain on his body. Bumrah, although a great fast bowler, doesn't have such fluent action.
Kapil dev's junior Ashish Nehra underwent 12 major surgeries in his
18 year long career. Nehra is not an exception. The story of pacers of last 30 years period, is almost the same. Leading Indian batsmen of 1970s and 80s, Gavaskar and Visvanath also never missed Tests owing to injuries. Bedi used to say that both of them knew their limitations and used to take care accordingly. Gavaskar was also among the first few batsmen ever to wear a head-gear similar to the modern helmet to protect his head.
No discussion on cricketers injury is complete without remembering
Philip Hughes of Australia, who died after being hit at back of the neck by a bouncer, although he was wearing a helmet! India also lost its lesser known player Raman Lamba during 1988 in a Bangladesh league match, hit on bare head while while fielding, by a nasty shot.Injuries on cricket field can't be avoided, but have to be managed. Let us check how it can be done?
-While Test cricket is the most sought after form of cricket by the connoisseurs of the game, T20 cricket provides the thrill, speed and excitement. In between ODI looks an odd format now, which is neither a test of endurance, nor a test of instant thrill. Therefore I invite your views, whether we can discard this format of cricket? This will reduce playing burden on the players.
-One more alternative is to avoid playing T20s and ODIs during bilateral series. Let these two formats be reserved for tournaments only. This suggestion is also aimed at lessening the burden on players.
-The key for teams is to utilize talent pool by compulsory rotation, to great effect in order to achieve longevity of pacers/players. Having multiple sets of fast bowlers and players for different formats will drastically reduce the fatigue factor. IPL franchises should be advised to give breaks for players in between.
-Maintaining Bench strength, especially of fast bowers is a must. What bailed out our Indian team in Australia recently was its bench strength. Bowlers at the bench should given periodical exposure at the highest level in all formats, to keep them motivated, match-fit and ready.
Tail Piece:
Although the most challenging and exciting format of Cricket is Test cricket, our present younger generation seems to be not interested. Still it is our senior friends, who passionately follow Test cricket and enjoy its thrill, but not our younger generation! Cricket can never survive, outstanding players can never emerge, unless this long format of cricket survives. I seek views of my readers on this crucial aspect of the game.
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