Not all players enjoy an ice bath, but double centurion Mahela Jayawardene had to endure it twice in a day at Motera
Not all players enjoy an ice bath, but double centurion Mahela Jayawardene had to endure it twice in a day at Motera
If a modern-day sportsperson is asked what the most important, yet most dreaded exercise they have to do after a gruelling effort on the field, the most common answer would be: "ice bath".
The ice bath helps athletes to recover faster, and reduce muscle pain and soreness after intense training sessions or competitions.
But whether they like it or not, modern-day cricketers have accepted it as a part of their regime. When MiD DAY asked Rahul Dravid after his marathon effort with the bat on the opening day how long did his ice bath last after stumps, Dravid smiled and said: "Well, it was a long one."
And when the same question was thrown to Mahela Jayawardene yesterday evening, he responded: "Fifteen minutes. Five during tea-time and 10 minutes after stumps."
Writing on the importance of this process, Craig Smith, who was the physiotherapist of the South African team in the Hansie Cronje era wrote on the BBC website: "When you get into an ice bath for five to 10 minutes, the icy cold water causes your blood vessels to tighten and drains the blood out of your legs. After 10 minutes your legs feel cold and numb."
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Ice baths have not been introduced recently. Dean Jones, who scored an epic double hundred in the Chennai Tied Test benefitted from them too.
Banners please!
One of the common gestures by spectators at cricket grounds across the world is the waving of banners. These banners offer varied messages from patriotic to morale-boosting to statistical to marriage proposals reflecting the mood of spectators on a given day.u00a0However, the first three days of India's first Test against Sri Lanka, have hardly seen spectators waving any banners despite the fact that Sachin Tendulkar entered international cricket's third decade on the opening day, Rahul Dravid starting his march towards 12,000 Test runs on the second day.
Bhajji changes colour
Harbhajan Singh is known to wear colourful patkas while taking the field. But when the off-spinner entered the ground yesterday morning with a white patka, it came as a surprise to most present at the stadium.
While Harbhajan could not be reached to know the logic behind his choice for the day, one wondered if him being in the land of Mahatma Gandhi had anything to do with the colour of Bhajji's patka.
Indians silenced
When it comes to media interactions at the end of a day's play during a Test match, teams send the performer of the day. But there are always days when a team just don't have anyone to portray in that role.
On such days, it is usually the coach who has to face the media. So when Sri Lanka ended Day Two at 275 for three in pursuit of India's 426, coach Gary Kirsten expectedly turned up to face the media. Kirsten and his wards would have thought then that their worst day.u00a0 Or were they too tired?
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