Rising after the fall

Fast bowlers and injuries go hand in hand. They break down much more often than other players, and it has sometimes to do with lack of guidance at younger levels. For a youngster, a Shoaib Akhtar or a Brett Lee running in and bowling at close to 150kmph is an appealing sight. He wants to emulate what he sees; all he wants to do is run fast and scare a batsman.

When I was a youngster, I used to watch the India-Pakistan Tests and I only wanted to bowl like Kapil Dev and Imran Khan. At such a stage in one's career, there is a lot of enthusiasm and passion, but the skill isn't developed. This is where a good coach can help and eliminate injuries that are the bane of a fast bowler's life. At a young age, it is easy to get into bad habits, which may result in injuries at a later stage. For example if someone has a mixed action, when the lower body is side-on and the upper body is open-chested, he is only inviting the stress fracture of the back. Many careers have ended before they start because of lack of guidance at the foundation levels.

Once a player gets injured, a proper rehabilitation process plays a big part in rescuing his career. When I used to play, there were no physios or trainers with the team: the masseur would do every job. The only advice an injured player would get is, "Take rest." Then he would take rest, stay away for a couple of months, and come back feeling he is okay. But because he hadn't gone through proper rehabilitation, he would break down again and get frustrated and leave the game.

When a player is injured, he is desperate to get back to playing cricket at the highest level; he doesn't want to miss a single game. But if there is a physio, he can let him know what extent he can push himself to. The player is usually ready to take the plunge, but he needs a guide to tell him what lengths he go to.

I went through a shoulder injury in 1993 and was off cricket for four months. The only person I could go to then was my family physio, Sandhya Waingankar. I would travel all the way to see her by train. It would take me 45 minutes to one hour and sometimes I would do that twice a day. At that time that was all I could do, I didn't have access to anybody else.

Things have changed now; we have become much more professional and aware. Nowadays the traveling physio can minimise the impact of the injury in the first few hours, which are crucial. Still, there is a lack of quality trainers and physios who specialise in sport. If a player gets into improper rehabilitation, the amount of stress he goes through affects his performance, and often he gets injured again. If the injury occurs during the season, it's likely he stays out for that season and sets himself up for another.

SS Paul is an example of how a player should go about with his rehabilitation. He had a knee injury last season, had to undergo a surgery, and missed the entire season. But I made sure that he travelled with the team. He would go the grounds and dressing rooms, even if he was not playing. That kept him in touch with the physio and the trainer, and also his team-mates. This season he has come back well and looks fit.

Once a player has recovered he should make sure he plays some club cricket before he starts playing first-class cricket. There is cricket throughout the year in Mumbai, while that is not possible with many other associations. These club matches give the players a chance to test themselves, and players need to think in those terms as well.

It is surely frustrating when a player sees his friends and competitors playing and knows he can't play. But this is something he has to accept and get on with. It has happened many times that a player knows he is just about 80 per cent recovered, but still goes ahead and plays the first game of the season. By doing that, he risks another injury and lets the team down as well. It is a long journey back from an injury, which involves a lot of hard work, patience, medical expertise, and at times frustration. But once you have got injured, there are few alternatives or short-cuts.