Dubai: Biju George, who is regarded as one of India’s finest fielding coaches, has suggested trying out a few novel methods during the stay-at-home period of the COVID-19 pandemic to improve fielding abilities.
George has executed his brilliance as Indian women’s team fielding coach by transforming the squad into one of the best fielding sides in the world today. He also shaped the India Under-19 team’s fielding during the 2014 World Cup and was gearing up to strengthen the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in this year’s Indian Premier League before it was postponed.
Speaking to Gulf News, George spoke of some simple ways to sharpen one’s fielding skills. “The long lay-off can result in one losing his or her ability to sight the ball, especially when taking high catches,” he said. “To counter such a situation, I suggest that one should track flying objects like birds from the terrace or window of one’s house every day. It is also very useful to focus intently on far away objects as well as those near you.”
George, who is a coach at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Cricket Coaching Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, added: “Everyone has his own routine for training, but doing yoga and meditation are very good to improve concentration and fitness.”
He has also groomed India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson. “During this phase, it is important to work on rehab, bodyweight exercises and do any cricket related drills within the space you have for yourself. This is a good time for every player to watch their own videos and discuss with personal coaches on the way forward. One must also take this opportunity to watch videos of opposition teams and devise strategies, and get prepared for the upcoming season.”
George strongly believes that one should read and study on why some players are the best. He has realised this by watching the Sunrisers Hyderbad team fielders. “Players like David Warner, Manish Pandey, Virat Singh, and Vijay Shankar are very good fielders,” noted Biju while explaining his daily work schedule.
“I get up at 4.30am. From 5.30am to 6.30am, I run within my house compound or on the terrace. Then I do weighting training with barbells and dumbbells for 45 minutes, after which I take on tube/band training for the next 40 minutes, and finish by 8.15am. Then I sit down to watch Khelo India live video on Facebook or Instagram where the best in the sports industry speak. In the evening, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm SAI has a webinar on sports science on Zoom. I go to bed early at around 8.45pm.”
