Panesar: Clown no more

"Let's face it, I'm not one of life's natural athletes. I have to work at it," he says. "I started working out in a north London gym in mixed martial arts and jujitsu last September because I wanted to be quicker, fitter and more explosive. I also wanted to work on my mindset more. I felt the benefits almost immediately. I'm sharper in body and sharper in mind and I have no doubt that it helped me a great deal in India in the heat, the long spells of bowling and the challenges the Indian batsmen presented. I'll continue to work on this over the next few weeks until I fly out to New Zealand. I hope nobody will ever question my fitness again."