Lean makes them mean

Andrew Leipus,former physiotherapist of the Indian team,agrees. “Dehydration is a real risk. Colas are refreshing but not ideal for re-hydration. Isotonic sports drinks like Gatorade are more appropriate. They contain fewer calories,easily absorbed sugars and electrolytes that are lost in perspiration,” he says.

Leipus,with former fitness trainers Adrian Le Roux and Greg King,was credited with making Team India lean and mean.

“Teams like New Zealand and Australia roped in dieticians and an elaborate support staff years ago,” says a senior sports journalist. Team India eventually followed suit. Every meal is logically planned. For an ODI that starts late in the afternoon,players have breakfast and a light lunch (no missing meals) before they leave their hotels. Later on the ground,they have a “top up” meal before the game. “Through the match,they might snack on fruits or sandwiches. During the break there is a buffet-style meal available. They eat again post-match,which is probably a larger meal. They eat regularly,but it is generally small meals,” says Leipus.

For cricketers like Suresh Raina,who loves to cook,and Virender Sehwag,who,like Tendulkar,enjoys his food,a health diet is not easy. “Dhoni,Sachin and Sehwag have all probably carried too much extra weight at one time in their career,but over time they have changed their eating behaviour,” says Leipus. He recalls how,when he had first joined the Indian team,the catering company contracted to supply food during matches and training “would prepare food as they would for a wedding or large function. Tasty but loaded with fats and high cholesterol”. “It was hardly what I like to call ‘performance food’,which should be easily digestible,” says Leipus. Now,the BCCI and Indian Premier League (IPL) use chefs from five-star hotels to prepare food for the players. Bhimani,who is often around the players,confirms this. “Lunch is oil-free and comprises Indian staples — rice,roti,dal,mutton or chicken and,of course,salads,” he says.

Do younger players like Gautam Gambhir,Virat Kohli or Munaf Patel order pizza and cola? “They are known to sometimes order junk food in their hotel rooms,” reveals a sports correspondent. A dietary regimen recommended by the trainer comes into effect one day before a match and continues till the day after. But between matches or during week-long breaks,it is up to the players to maintain discipline.

So if you’re trying to woo an Indian cricketer,you can offer him a bottle of water.