India is a homeland for cricket legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni and last but not least, Virat Kohli. For the upcoming days, Indians would be in front of their TV sets, cheering for the Men in Blue in Cricket World Cup.

But those of us who love watching Kohli hitting it out real hard must be wondering about what makes cricketers’ fitness regime and diet plans for cricketers so extraordinary to withstand all the sports-related stress. Injury-free cricketers are an asset to the National team during this critical championship, so this guide will look into the possibility of work-out regimes, diet plans and cricket-related injuries that go into the daily lives of the Indian cricketers.

Workouts:

Improving the flexibility of the body is the key to the cricketers’ fitness regime. It lowers the risk of injury of the body joints and soft tissues, also strengthening the body for on-field play.

Cricketers perform exercises like quadriceps stretch, standing hamstring stretch and straight leg raises for easing the stiffness around knees; hamstring curls, one-leg wall slides, inner-thigh lifts, etc prevent collateral ligament damage. Upper body exercises strengthen arms and torso for better precision during gameplay. Stretching hamstrings and quads and eccentric training can help lower the intensity of the lower-body injury. Eccentric training involves reducing weight at the time of shoulder press while bringing down the body and performing pull-ups as well as the downward motion of push-ups. Such exercises push the muscles to withstand the typical failure point.

Read more: 7 Health Benefits of Exercise

Diet:

Cricketers’ diet regimen includes whole grains, dairy products, fruit, lean proteins and vegetables. Nutritious carbs get adjusted to training and match demands. Massive training days mean Greek yoghurt, fruit or wholegrain muesli bars. Lower workload days mean higher protein and lower carbohydrate intake through fish, wholegrain crackers, vegetable sticks, boiled eggs, etc.

Exercising regularly, every day if possible, is the single most important thing you can do for your health. Strength training, sometimes called resistance training, should be performed two to three times a week. Apart from this, a cricketer’s diet should consist of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, as well as minerals.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.

Injuries and Treatment:

Chances of cricket injuries have increased because of the remarkable increase in international matches being played. Target areas for cricket-related injuries are shoulders, lower back and knees, especially for a bowler. Fast-bowlers tend to injure knees due to the force generated through knee joints that may lead to torn tissues or ligament tear.

Various kinds of injuries can affect cricketers on the field. Options for immediate treatment would be to apply an ice pack over the affected region for around twenty-thirty minutes across every three-four hours and compression by an elastic bandage, to curb the inflammation.

Fluid Needs:

This depends on playing style, position and weather conditions. Monitoring the individual fluid losses of cricketers is very important since the excessive fluid loss (around 2% of the bodyweight) can harm bowling accuracy, running speed, cooling ability and concentration. Cricketers need to fill up on necessary fluids during warm-ups, meal and drink breaks, wicket-falls and when not playing.

Conclusion:

According to India’s captain Virat Kohli, a Healthier body has made him both a better batsman and an improved fielder.

As we cheer for our Men in Blue to win the World Cup 2019, let us all follow their cue to live a more active, fit and healthy lifestyle and become better performers in life.

Disclaimer: The above information has been prepared by a qualified medical professional and may not represent the practices followed universally. The suggestions listed in this article constitute relatively common advice given to patients and since every patient is different, you are advised to consult your physician, if in doubt, before acting upon this information. Lupin Limited has only facilitated the distribution of this information to you in the interest of patient education and welfare.