Got to maintain fitness all year round as that gives you an edge over others: Riyan Parag

New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) The gruelling demand for cricketers to play all three formats of the game in a year has meant that maintaining peak fitness is a non-negotiable. According to India all-rounder Riyan Parag, maintaining fitness as a cricketer is now a year-round commitment as it gives them the crucial edge over other players.

“You've got to do it all year round. There are no off-seasons, no off-days for the body at least. I know we get off-seasons through cricket, where we don't have tournaments and matches.”

“But regardless of that, if you're training 365 days, keeping your body in check, eating well, training well, I think you get that edge and you always maintain your body through all the formats that you need to play,” said Riyan in an exclusive interview with IANS on the sidelines of the PUMA x HYROX event on Saturday.

Seeing close to 2600 participants, from India and 39 other countries, turn up for the fitness racing event left Riyan excited. “It's very exciting. I'm in a profession where fitness has now slowly grown into a big thing. I just took a peek inside, saw how many people were there competing, and also cheering for their loved ones. I think this global event coming to India with such intensity is going to be great for us.”

Behind all the success Riyan has achieved so far – 2018 U19 World Cup win, leading Assam in domestic cricket, establishing himself in the Rajasthan Royals’ set-up, and playing for India in white-ball formats, lies a deeply methodical and relentless commitment to fitness — one that’s been in motion since he was 11.

“I think fitness plays a key role. I know I'm a professional athlete, but for everyone in their day-to-day life, I think fitness is a big plus factor that you can have in your life. For me, it started when I was 11 years old. I knew I had to get my basics right if I wanted to be good at what I do and if I wanted my body to let me be good at what I do. So I started pretty early and I've been doing it for a long time now,” he said.

Does starting early in terms of fitness give an edge over other teammates when pursuing a professional sporting career? Riyan replied in the affirmative, but with many young cricketers being leaner, faster, and fitter than ever, he believes one’s got to train when no one’s watching.

“100 percent, it gives you an edge. But right now, the way the young cricketers are coming up, I think everyone's focused on their fitness, so everyone does have that edge. If you want to be a little different, I think you're going to push when no one's watching and when you're training alone.”

“Events like this, you participate in these, you take these exercises back home, then you try and get better every single day. I think once you do that, it gives you an edge,” he added.

There’s also a difference between working on fitness on match days and non-game days, and Riyan explained how he manages to maintain this balance. “Again, it's a lot of training, it's a lot of specific training. I know match fitness and outside life fitness are a little different, but then you've got to be both.”

“If someone wants you to wake up at 5 am, do a 2km run, and then go play a game, I think you've got to be able to do that as professional athletes. For that to happen, you've got to train like that.”

“Like you've got to wake up in the morning, run for 2km and then go and practice, right? So, I think it's a mixture of both, but then you've just got to be open, accepted with open arms, and accept that you've got to train a lot to become a professional athlete.”

While training hard is one thing, recovery is also the other half of the equation for cricketers to maintain optimal fitness. In an age where late-night scrolling and long-haul flights dominate athlete lifestyles, Riyan stated he loves a lot of sleep as a recovery mode.

“I like to take 8-8.5 hours of sleep. I think sleep is where you burn calories, actually. It's not just recovery; you burn a lot of calories if you eat well, and that's also where the magic happens. I think after a good night's sleep, I feel best for the match. That's in the morning or afternoon, regardless of what the timing is. So, I think that plays a big, big factor for us.”

In terms of nutrition, Riyan balances indulgence with intention and leans into intermittent fasting, which helps him stay light and energised when on the field. “I'm not the strictest with my diet. I like to eat a lot of food. But when it's on season, I like to do something of intermittent fasting.”

“I like to eat one or two meals a day, which helps me, I think, de-bloat myself, not really heavy in the morning, and then I can eat whatever I want in the afternoon after practice. But when I'm not in season and I'm in off-season, I think I like to indulge in a lot of food. So, I keep a healthy balance, and that keeps my mind happy so that when the season comes and I need to follow a diet, I've already had a fair share of my food.”

--IANS

nr/bsk/