Volleyball
'Sehwag always fun, Sachin commands discipline': Kolkata Thunderbolts physio on working with Indian cricket legends
Adnan Badr, the leading physiotherapist of the Kolkata Thunderbolts franchise in the Prime Volleyball League, shares his experience of training the India Legends Cricket Team.
Before taking over the role of Sports Physiotherapist at the Kolkata Thunderbolts franchise of the ongoing 2022 edition of Rupay Prime Volleyball League, Dr. Adnan Badr had worked as the physio for the India Legends Cricket Team during the Road Safety World Series 2021. He trained Indian cricketing legends in the tournament including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, among others.
On being asked about his experiences of working along with such big names of the sporting industry, Dr. Adnan revealed interactions that he had with both Tendulkar and Sehwag.
"It was a great experience alongside working with the legends of Indian cricket. It is always fun and exciting when you are with people like Sehwag and Yuvraj who always keep you entertained and keep having fun. It was a totally different ambiance around there," he revealed.
Dr. Adnan also went on to reveal a hilarious moment he shared with both Sachin and Sehwag, when the two cricketers requested him to give them a lighter training workload.
"When it comes to my work, I am very professional and I keep interactions limited. But I do remember one instance when I was doing warm-up sessions with the Indian Legends team. It was a dynamic warm-up with a lot of stretches. I remember Sehwag and Sachin both saying, 'Dr. Sahab, humko jawan logo wali training mat karao, easy wali karao'," he recalled, laughing.
Dr. Adnan also revealed how the dressing room automatically used to become more disciplined and quiet in Sachin Tendulkar's presence.
"Sehwag is always fun in the dressing room. When he is in the dressing room, he will keep fooling around with everybody. Whenever Sachin sir is there, everyone will be disciplined and be very silent. It was a memorable experience," he said.
Dr. Adnan Badr has also worked as a physio for Bollywood celebrities including the likes of actor Sanjay Dutt. He went on to explain the difference between working alongside sports stars and members of the film industry.
"Personally, I don't feel there's any difference as such, apart from some sports-specific injuries or sports-specific rehab program for the athletes. But yeah, when it comes to Bollywood actors, their only requirement is that they have to be up and about as soon as possible as they have shoots and other public appearances. So they would need to get going in a day or two. So that's the challenging part. But it's always fun to work with them," he said.
Now, Dr. Adnan has been working on physio sessions of the Kolkata Thunderbolts franchise. He started the sessions in Kochi in January and now has moved the sessions to Hyderabad where the tournament is being played. He opened up on some of the sessions that he has conducted with the squad so far.
"We had some great sessions at the camp in Kochi. We conducted some aggressive plyometric training and speed and agility drills sessions on the court to deep tissue release and pain management sessions back in the physio room. We did a complete assessment of the players from a musculoskeletal perspective; which included checking for their muscle tightness, stiffness, range of motion, strength, etc," he said.
"Based on the data that we collected, we made a plan for the whole season, so that players don't get any injuries. And all this was all from a prevention perspective," he further added.
Dr. Adnan also went on to praise the fitness levels of the players before arriving at the camp and said that it made his job easier.
"These guys are all extremely fit. So it was easier for me and the coaches to go all out in the beginning when it came to the training part. We have slowly tapered down the intensity of training as the matches were approaching closer. The players are now even more confident to give their 120 percent on the field as they know a team of physio is here to prevent and take care of injuries," he signed off.
Kolkata Thunderbolts started their campaign with a thrilling 3-2 win over Calicut Heroes at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.