Mohali: Bouncing back with back-to-back wins, Kings XI Punjab’s fielding coach R Sridhar says that it is important for the team to peak at the right time and win all the remaining matches to qualify for the Play-offs.
“This is nice bull run for us..It very important to peak at the right time in the tournament,” the team’s fielding coach Sridhar said today.
With four more league games to go, Sridhar said, “from here on, it’s like a knockout tournament for us and we have to win every game. All our players are kind of players who want to be at their best when their best is demanded. We are looking forward to exciting days ahead, four league games and the playoffs.”
He said in a T20 tournament, all three departments have to click in order to win the match.
“Even if one department lets you down, then it becomes very difficult to go and push a win the match,” he said.
When asked that the gruelling schedule has taken a toll on some players who have got injured, Sridhar said, “it is very unfortunate that we also lost one player today during pre-match fielding drill Marcus Stoinis, he fell on his shoulder and he hurt himself, we are waiting for his report”.
“So, it is very important for the players to manage their recovery, rest and training in such a way so that they are available in their best frame of mind and in their best fitness for every match,” he said.
“That is why during IPL it is very important that the players get enough sleep, we also monitor the players hydration. We have a physiotherapist whose job is to make sure that every player is hydrated to the optimum level.”
The team also has a masseur “who generally knows which player needs to be taken care for recovery”.
“So, we use all recovery protocols like the hydra recovery, proper hydration, swimming pool and massage to make sure players recover well and are ready, fit for selection and are on top of their game,” he said.
Sridhar said that KXIP is blessed to have some of the best fielders in the side including skipper Glenn Maxwell.
Maxwell, David Miller, Mohit Sharma, Axar Patel and Sandeep Sharma have set good fielding standard, he said.
“I would surely say that we are the team which has droppled least number of catches. We work hard on those guys who are not good. What is important is to keep everyone fresh for every game….We owe this to the fans of KXIP and the franchise, our stakeholders, all backroom staff who work tirelessly to make sure that players are comfortable and help them put their best performance,” he said.
Source: Zee News