Where cricket is all play and no rest

Hopes had been high for newly-crowned world champions Australia as they pitted themselves against World Cup finalists India in a five-match T20I series but there was little they could have done to prevent the hosts from forging an unassailable 2-0 series lead on Sunday. There are enough reasons to suggest that this is probably down to their strenuous touring before the ongoing series, which included the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the IPL, the WTC final, the Ashes, a white-ball tour of South Africa followed by an ODI series in India, and then, of course, the World Cup.

Seven players from the Australian squad who won the World Cup remained in India for the series that started four days after the summit clash on November 19.

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Days before the 1992 World Cup began, a member of the Indian team had generated significant buzz after admitting that several of his teammates did not wish to see a cricket bat for a few days. Back then, the Mohammad Azharuddin-led squad had just come through a gruelling tour of Australia, having featured in as many as five tests, followed by a long-winding one-day tri-series.

Perhaps, you would fear similar tales may be coming from the Australian camp. With a busy home summer of cricket schedule looming, including Test series against Pakistan and the West Indies, even skipper Pat Cummins acknowledged the increasing burden on the players, some of whom have been in India since September.

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"They're humans, they're not robots," he told the media on Tuesday. "Putting everything into a World Cup and then playing a couple of days later, I probably won't begrudge them if they're not at 100 per cent. These are still games for Australia and it's great that these tours do provide opportunities for some of the younger guys, or guys who might not be in the first 11. I think these are important tours and you can get a lot out of them."

Two matches a week might not seem like a lot to a casual cricket fan. But it certainly is, considering cricket is one of the world's toughest endurance sports, and national teams have been testing the limits of what players can handle.

Having said that, these are issues the Australian side will have to battle on the remaining part of their tour of India before they plunge into the first Test against Pakistan starting on December 14 in Perth, after being involved in a taxing five-match Test series and the World Cup that lasted nearly eight weeks. Following their Boxing Day match in Melbourne, Australia will play their third and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3.

Remaining away from home for months in alien conditions, living out of a suitcase, and tournament travel can take a toll, both physical and mental. Now that Matthew Wade's men are failing to live up to their billing, much is being made of the fatigue factor, and the fact that the team has been into heavy travelling amid India's gruelling humidity.

"The impact can be a little different for everyone depending on their age and level of participation and body adaptability. Fatigue will take its toll on the body, even though you are 100 per cent fit. An athlete needs to take up something else during his recovery. Engaging yourself in an activity with a different movement pattern, something that you do just for fun so that your body is working, but not overworking," explained Hetal Soni, a sports physiotherapist based out of Mumbai.

However, there is one general principle that applies to all players, she insisted. "An athlete breaks down his body over and over again. They tax and push themselves beyond their normal level of fitness. Under these circumstances, if they don't give their bodies time to repair and rejuvenate, they will naturally fall apart. It is, thus, imperative to give your body enough time spent not training to replenish your energy storage, which is glycogen in medical terms, in order to allow your damaged muscles to recover well. Otherwise, your performance on the field will be compromised and you may experience chronic muscle soreness and pain."

Cricketers who persevere through a full cycle of matches are susceptible to what is increasingly known as a tournament hangover, the tiredness that carries over from the IPL in the summer months to several home and away games across all three formats.

"To sum up, I think days of doing nothing are really important. All athletes should aim to take a full rest day every week. These continuous tournaments and leagues take a lot out of them. Rest as well as recovery is important for injury prevention on a long-term scale. I often ask athletes how many rest days they are taking or when is the last time they took two weeks off. I can't stress this enough," she added.

How much the hectic schedule will affect the Aussies in the long run only time will tell. The saving grace is that the players will return home after Tuesday's Guwahati encounter, with Travis Head being the lone member of the World Cup-winning side to stay put for the remaining two fixtures.