For any athlete, the greatest negotiation they have to carry out on a regular basis is with their body, believes Ankit Kaliyar, a strength and conditioning coach with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). A former state-level cricketer, Kaliyar’s association with the Indian cricket board entails optimising the performance of players across age groups and conditioning them physically to avoid injuries. My Kolkata caught up with Kaliyar on his journey with the Indian cricket board, the essentials of conditioning an athlete's body, working with Virat Kohli and more.
My Kolkata: How has the association with the BCCI been for you thus far?
It has been a wonderful journey (since July 2016). I take on assignments that they give me on a yearly basis. As a former professional player, it’s always a dream to contribute to the Indian cricketing scene. The BCCI’s project is a well-defined one with top-notch rehab centres for our players and academies to nurture players’ skillsets that take proper care of their physical conditioning. The BCCI has always been incredibly supportive and it’s been a rewarding association.
‘The young players are exposed to the crunch early on so that they can manage it with ease when they turn pro’
A player’s personal effort is the key to their fitness during the season, feels Kaliyar Ankit Kaliyar/Myprotein
Do you think the crammed cricketing calendar has caused an increase in the number of injuries lately?
If we go back a decade and more, the cricketing structure in place wasn’t as carefully sketched out as it’s today. We mostly had a single team playing across all series and major tournaments, but at the moment, the calendar makes for a far more detailed plan when it comes to teams that represent the country or even domestically, with recovery periods, optimum rest and opportunities. And for the BCCI, the crunch is primary, across all age groups when it comes to workload management. The young players are exposed to the crunch early on so that they can manage it with ease when they turn pro. The load is fairly balanced and it’s usually a player’s personal effort that determines their fitness through the season.
‘Over the last decade or so, India’s facilities have become the best in the world’
How have India's cricketing facilities improved since you started working with the BCCI ?
The facilities have grown in leaps and bounds. Earlier, the facilities that players received abroad were more efficiently designed, which allowed them to adapt better to the conditions. However, over the last decade or so, India’s facilities have become the best in the world. The National Cricket Academy (NCA), for instance, provides an elite range of infrastructure and resources, both technical and physical. Most importantly, the resources are accessed by national and domestic players across all age groups.
How do you plan the fitness regimens for individual players?
There’s a basic protocol that we follow for all athletes. Then there are different plans in place that cater to the needs of a batter or a bowler. Every athlete has their own design, as the anatomy is specific to each person, as are their needs. We analyse an individual’s needs thoroughly and plan the regimens on those lines. The training continues through the year, but the on-season training schedule differs from the off-season plan.
As a fitness coach, what is the primary advice that you have for the players?
Training properly is the first and foremost thing that a player needs to maintain. There’s a pyramid that highlights the gaps, the needs and where one needs to improve their overall lifestyle. One needs to take into consideration a number of things to get the optimum results from nutrition, hydration levels and sleep cycle, to complement their training regimens.
‘To be successful at international level, you need to be absolutely consistent and that is what Virat Kohli has managed to do’
Virat Kohli has been someone special to you. Having worked with him closely, what do you think sets him apart when it comes to his fitness?
I played under Virat bhai when I was young. And I can only say that he’s an inspiration to everyone by being the most disciplined person around. He sticks to his daily regimen without fail, even when he’s not playing. He trains, maintains his nutrition and hydration levels, sticks to the sleep schedule and has all his patterns in place. To be successful at international level, you need to be absolutely consistent and that is what he has managed to do for so many years.
What do you think the Indian players need to keep in mind to avoid injuries over the course of the ongoing World Cup?
The team has the best coaching staff and physios to help them. They have the most efficient protocols and guidelines in place to make sure they strike an optimum balance between training, recovery and rest between matches, conditioning their bodies to the demands that a tournament like this brings with itself. The players adjust very well to the cycles and if they continue to just follow the standard protocol, specific designs and plans in place, I think they’ll sail through the tournaments.
(@myproteinin)You have been associated with Myprotein and as their brand ambassador. How does Myprotein set itself apart from the various supplements in the market right now?
Myprotein is manufactured and produced in the UK, brought to India and shipped directly to your house.The assurance of quality when it comes to the product sets it apart in the huge market for protein supplements in India. They ensure absolute transparency regarding the sources, which is free from any foreign additions, something very difficult to find in the protein supplement market in India.
