COLOMBO: "It's the first time I have done anything like this in 15 years of cricket," That's how Virat Kohli reacted on being asked about another match in a few hours after being adjudged player of the match for his blistering unbeaten century against Pakistan on Monday night.
The Super Four match, which started on Sunday, had spilt over to reserve day due to heavy downpours here in Colombo. It's worth noticing that initially, the contest held at the R Premadasa Stadium didn't have a reserve day. However, once the Group A encounter between the two arch-rivals got washed out at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on September 2, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the original hosts, literally coerced the Asian Cricket Council into allotting the reserve day to the contest.
Seemingly, it served the PCB's purpose as the reserve day was in fact utilised to complete the contest but it also made Indian cricketers to play for three straight days, something unheard of especially in the limited-overs cricket.
Kohli, the former India captain, emphasised the need for recovery after playing back-to-back high-intensity games during the post-match presentation ceremony. "Luckily we are Test players, so we know how to come back the next day and play. Recovery is crucial. It was humid out there today. I am 35 in November, so I need to take care of my recovery. A big shout out to the ground staff from my side," he told the official broadcaster.
The Indian's innings of 122 comprised 38 singles and 15 doubles. Only 54 out of Kohli's total runs have come through boundaries (9 fours and 3 sixes). Apart from batting for 147 minutes, which is a little South of two and a half hours, Kohli also ran for his partner KL Rahul, whose 106-ball 111 runs were laced with 39 singles and six doubles. The duo then fielded for 32 overs with Rahul keeping the wickets. The fickle weather with hot and humid conditions followed by drizzling and heavy downpours didn't make it easy for both teams.
Former Indian cricket team strength and conditioning coach Ramji Srinivasan echoed Kohli's sentiments saying recovery is the most important thing in any athlete's life. "I am very happy that India won by a record margin against Pakistan. After such tough matches, recovery is very important. You can say recovery is a part and parcel of any training process. It is as important as training and holds greater importance during matches," Ramji told this daily.
He affirmed that every athlete has a different recovery methodology. "Unless and until a player has recovered 100 per cent, he or she may not be able to give his/her best both at mental and physical level. There are various methodologies of recovery and each player has his/her own method of recovery. One size doesn't fit all as what is pertinent to Virat Kohli may not suit X, Y and Z. Every player has got his way of recovery protocol. So that plays a very important role in performance."
Having been a part of the Indian team for a long period, Ramji said continuous cricket makes the role of support staff even more important. "It is up to the support staff to see to it that all the players have recovered well to the optimum. At the end of the day, it's an international match and we need to perform well."
With the ODI World Cup to follow the ongoing continental tournament, Ramji, who was part of the 2011 Indian team that lifted the coveted trophy, believed it's extremely crucial to ensure players remain injury free and do not carry any niggle into the big tournaments. "This (Asia Cup) is also a precursor to the World Cup. Any sort of initial niggle should be addressed at once on a war footing.
Any niggle or minor injury should not magnify into serious injury during the course of the match. If it happens then it becomes very difficult for the team management, skipper and entire team to be a cohesive unit. We never had injuries during the 2011 World Cup despite playing in the hot and humid weather in India, we never had any issues. The amount of training you do is not important, but what is more important is your recovery and diet. And that has to be adhered to in a very strict way, it should be given the maximum priority."
Ramji also stressed on the fact that an athlete has to be adaptable if he or she needs to be successful. "Weather can vary so an athlete needs to be adaptable." Like Kohli, he also said a training regime has to be made for an athlete keeping his age in mind. "You have to train smart according to your age and do specific things pertinent to certain factors for certain skills."
