Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif recently wondered about on how the system surrounding players has changed since his playing days. Kaif compared his personal experiences from the early 2000s with his observations of the professional changes in contemporary cricket, including player celebrations and training regimens.
According to Kaif, the quantity of cricket played today has altered the demand for support personnel. He disclosed that there were a lot less matches back when he was alive than there are now. According to Kaif, this explains why the number of physiotherapists, physicians, and personal trainers has grown along with their demand. Even now, players travel with personal chefs and personal trainers—luxuries that weren’t available in his time.
“Nowadays, the frequency of matches has increased a lot. I remember when I played in the NatWest Trophy final, which was in July. After that, I played my next ODI only three months later in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka. Back then, there were fewer matches, and we always got breaks in between. We had time for conditioning camps. Now, teams don’t do that; players just travel and go straight into matches, from one match to the next. That’s why there is so much talk about physios and doctors, because players need to take care of their bodies. Fitness has become such a big part of the game. Players now even travel with their personal chef and trainer. All these things have increased compared to our time,” he said on ‘Cheeky Singles’.
Mohammad Kaif reveals Virender Sehwag was often reminded about fitness
The 44-year-old further made observations as regards the impact of social media and technology on the manner in which athletes celebrates their success in the field. In his opinion, players of the modern period are completely aware where the lens is placed, as well as when they are being recorded.
“Back in the day, when I played for India, we never planned celebrations, nor were we even aware if a camera was recording a specific moment that would be replayed multiple times. We were straightforward. But nowadays, players know exactly when the camera will be on them and how they will celebrate. The awareness has increased. The main reason for this is mobile phones and social media. Today, highlights are everywhere on social media. That’s a big change and new players are not holding back (while celebrating).”
Mohammad Kaif
The former Indian batter also discussed how changing rooms now and back then differ culturally. Players used to travel together after practice, share hotels, and form bonds as a team when he was playing. Even Sachin Tendulkar, he recalled, would wait until everyone had completed their practice before departing.
“Now players have become more professional. I was a coach in the IPL, and I noticed players would finish practice and head straight to their hotel rooms, either spending time on their phones, watching movies, or playing games. But when we played, we spent a lot of time together during practice. Nowadays, there are cars ready for players so that they can leave after they are done with practice. In our time, we would always leave together. Even Sachin Tendulkar, after finishing his batting and fielding drills, he would wait for the last player and say, ‘Finish practice first, then we’ll go together.”
Mohammad Kaif
The native of Uttar Pradesh also recalled how difficult it was for Virender Sehwag to fit in with John Wright’s training culture. Sehwag was frequently instructed to concentrate on fitness because of the mandatory gym sessions that required cardio, upper body, core, and legs.
“It has to be Virender Sehwag. He was always told to focus on fitness. When John Wright became India’s coach, he created a culture where you had to go to the gym and do cardio, core activity, legs, and upper body. This was compulsory, and every time you went, you had to update what training you had done. We would usually do running and one more activity, at most two things. But whenever Sehwag went to the gym, he would tick all four boxes: legs, upper body, cardio, and everything, every single day, even though he may have done just one or two of them. After a month, Sehwag had 50–60 ticks, while we were at 20–30. He was a foodie, so it was difficult for him to adjust to the fitness routine.”
Mohammad Kaif
