As cricketers, we have to go through a lot of wear & tear throughout our training. Sometimes due to lack of recovery our muscles tend to stiffen up. There can be many other reasons of having stiff muscles but don’t worry that’s normal. What isn’t normal is that when we don’t stretch our muscles & bring it back to its original length which improves functionality in sports. However, hyper mobility (being unnaturally over flexible) can affect
your performance in a negative way and at the same time cause injuries due to highly laxative joints. People suffer more from stiffness than hyper- mobility. Apart from sportsmen today’s general population is living a sedentary lifestyle with little to no emphasis on exercise as well as nutrition. Here are 5 solutions to improve your flexibility.
1) Self-Myofascial Release (SMR)/ Foam Rolling:-
You can use specific objects such as foam roller, golf ball, medicine ball to release the trigger points (sensitive points of muscles) in your body, connective tissue (fascia) & tight muscles. Recommended usage of SMR is 10-12 minutes whole body before & after the training session every day. Try to create extra force against the object which will help release deep tissue and give you better results. This will also help in breaking up scar tissue & adhesions in muscles.
2) Mobility Drills:-
Sports is all about proper movements & movement patterns. The best way to improve movements is by doing mobility drills which in other words is known as dynamic stretches. Start a mobility routine with fundamental movements such as squat, lunges, thoracic rotations, shoulder rotations & opening up the hip. After fundamental movements start to progress towards sport specific mobility drills (in this case for cricketers) throwing, multi-directional lunges, squat jumps, lunge & twist. Mobility drills can be subjective which means some exercises may make you feel much better in functionality compared to other exercises. Do these before you start with any kind of training and see the benefits.
3) Active & Passive Stretching:-
Active Stretch:- You are actively moving one muscle group to stretch another. This can be achieved without a stretching partner or stretching accessories. Passive Stretch:- In passive stretching there is an external fore being provided. This can be achieved through partner stretches, using stretching accessories or just using
gravity to assist your stretch.
Both active & passive stretches can be included in the part of cooldown as it also stops blood pooling in muscles as well as helps in bringing back heartrate to normal post exercise.
4) Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Functioning :-
This technique is used to stimulate the neuromuscular system in an effort to excite proprioceptors (sensory organs in muscles, tendons, bones & joints) in order to produce desired movements. Although this is one of the most beneficial technique to achieve flexibility it should only be performed with an expert (physiotherapist or strength & conditioning coach) because injuries to tendons, muscles & ligaments can occur if movement is not indicated or is too aggressive. For athletes coming out of injuries PNF stretches are used by physical therapists to bring back joint’s range of motion to normal.
5) Yoga:-
An ancient Indian practice which would require 2-3 more articles to explain in detail. But to put it in a simple way Yoga is an ancient Indian practice which involves all the 4 ways that are mentioned above. Which points out how
advanced ancient Indian science was that its still relevant even today. There is also a mind muscle connection involved during Yoga. I know people with great fitness levels who have maintained it by just daily Yoga
routines. Yoga is a mixture of strength, breathing technique, flexibility, mobility & mental awareness. Although many people who do Yoga are hypermobile which as I said can harm you in a negative way. Although it also depends on what sport you play (a gymnast benefits from hypermobility the reverse can be true for
power lifter).
Hope this helps you to achieve your desired flexibility goals. All the best.
BY FITNESS COACH
YUVRAJ SALVI
BNP Paribas opting to bat first at Oval Maidan notched up a competitive total of 158/3 in 20 overs. Saurabh Thakkur opening the innings batted till the very end scoring a very solid looking 62* in 59 balls. With some quick wickets falling in between, it was important for someone to solidify the innings which Saurabh did it perfectly. Hrishikesh Gurjar’s 41* off 26 at no.5 lended the finishing touch to the innings.
Chasing 159 at almost 8 runs an over, Trafigura team kept on losing wickets at regular intervals with batters from no.2 to no.8 not even managing to score in two digits. The experienced Anil Bhalala who opened the innings fought like a lone warrior as he scored a promising 66 in mere 39 balls laced with 8 fours and 3 sixes. Some late blitz by Tabrez (16*) and Badrish (18) down the order did raise some hopes but eventually they fell short by 15 runs managing to score 143/9 in 20 overs. Saurabh who anchored the innings with bat also led from the front as a bowler coming up with a brilliant bowling spell of 4/18 in 4 overs.
BNP Paribas won the match by 15 runs while Saurabh was surely the standout performer earning the ‘man of the match award”
Eight wickets in hand, 44 balls remaining. Margins of victory can occasionally mislead, but this wasn’t one of those occasions. FCC Smashers bossed Cricket Club of Dombivli (CCD) in every department at the Asahi glass cricket ground, Navi Mumbai in a match of Friendship Trophy 2019. Smashers’ spinners laid the foundations for their success, Negate, Ashish and Ranjit finishing with combined figures of 5 for 34 from 6.5 overs.
First, they gave Smashers a measure of control. After then they ripped through the top and lower middle order and sending CCD hurtling from 31 for 5 to 88 all out. It was certainly a below-par total, but few would have predicted Smashers chasing it down in such a friction-free manner. It helped that they knew their target, which ensured they were never forced into undue risk.But it also helped that Amey and Ranjit, who steered Smashers with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 53, were so clear in their thinking and methodical, common-sense plans.
Player of the Match, right-arm pacer, Sagar Vaiude picking up 2 for 14 in three overs, including breathtaking eco of 4.67. Sagar Vaiude took two wickets in his first two overs, and no one can forget his straight throw towards the stumps for the runout of CCD’s opener batsman. Captain of the chasing team, also got out because of Sagar Vaiude’s mind-blowing catch. Nehete, Sonu and Ashish also struck twice for the Smashers.
Best batting figures – Amey Adkar( 39* off 31) and Ranjit Patki(29* off 31) from FCC Smashers, Sandeep Patil(41 off 43) from Cricket Club of Dombivli.
Best bowling figures – Sagar Vaiude(2 for 14) and Sagar Nehete(2 for 18) from FCC Smashers.
Click here for FCC Smashers Vs Cricket Club of Dombivli Match scorecard …..
Smollan India administered a hiding to CGI Solutions at a subdued Sydenham, Oval Maidan, set on their path by excellent spells from Sujay Lotankar and Rahul before Salim and Sujay Lotankar shepherded the chase. Having struck twice inside the Powerplay, the Smollan India continued to chip away at the CGI order. Only during a 41-ball 33 from their No. 3 Shivam did the CGI innings gain a measure of steam. It was enough to lift them to 127 after they had ambled along at around a run a ball for much of the innings.
CGI Solutions won the toss and elected to bat first. But the CGI Solutions wheezed through the rest of their innings, finishing with 127 for 7 in 20 overs. At 84 for 3 in the 13th, the CGI tail scrapped their way to 127 as Shivam grinded out a top score of 33 off 41 balls. But the paltry total was never going to be enough and Smollan India soon made a mockery of the chase. The spoils were shared around, with four different bowlers claiming a wicket, and Sujay Lotankar claiming a brace to finish with figures of 4 for 21 including three wickets.
Player of the Match, all-round performer, Sujay Lotankar’s today-best knock of 50* off 41 balls, including seven fours and strike rate of 121. And Sujay’s 3 for 21 scuppered a good start and also rattled the middle order. It wasn’t enough to challenge the Smollan India top order, however. Smollan India were two down for 17 runs but Sujay Lotankar and Salim added 111 runs together. In the end, Smollan India won the match by 8 wickets with 17 balls remaining.
Brief Score –
1st Inning – CGI Solution Team (Batting) –
Shivam Kislay – 33 runs in 41 balls (3 Fours)
Milind Kadam – 21 runs in 18 balls (2 Fours and 1 Sixes)
Smollan India (Bowling)
Sujay Lotankar – 3 Wkts , 4 Ovr, 0 Mdn, 21 Rns
Rahul – 2 Wkts , 4 Ovr, 0 Mdn, 20 Rns
2nd Inning – Smollan India (Batting) –
Sujay Lotankar – 50 runs in 41 balls (7 Fours)
Salim Shaikh – 43 runs in 40 balls (5 Fours and 1 Sixes)
CGI Solution Team (Bowling) –
Shivam Kislay – 2 Wkts , 4 Ovr, 0 Mdn, 15 Rns
Click here for CGI Solution VS Smollan India Match Scorecard ….
The S.H.M Ulhasnagar easily accounted for the FCC Sunrisers in Asahi Glass Cricket Ground Taloja, after a destructive first innings opening spell followed by a controlled hand from Kishore Khubchandani and Sanjay condemned the Sunrisers to their poorest start in Friendship Trophy 2019. Sent in after losing the flip, and at one stage slumping to 4 for 26, the FCC Sunrisers huffed and puffed and spluttered their way to 9 for 121 from their 20 overs. At no point were the Sunrisers able to impose their will on the S.H.M Ulhasnagar bowlers.
FCC Sunrisers stumbled to 49 for 5 at the halfway mark after electing to bat. There was no looking back after that, even though Deepak Gaikwad fought through to top score with 36. Five batsmen recorded single-digit scores, with the highest partnership being 23 for the fifth wicket between Deepak Gaikwad and Vishal. Sunrisers’ right-arm leg breaker, Amol S, took 3 off 22 in four overs.
Player of the Match, Kishore Khubchandani top scored with a 15-ball 31* courtesy five boundaries, including two fours, three sixes, and strike rate of 206. And Kishore’s 2 for 10 scuppered a good start and also rattled the middle order. S.H.M Ulhasnagar lost Manish in the third over, but found contributors in Deepak Wadhwani (c) and Kishore Khubchandani as they romped home comfortably to complete a sweep. In the end, S.H.M Ulhasnagar won by 4 wickets with four overs remaining.
Brief Score –
1st Inning – FCC Sunrisers Team (Batting) –
Deepak Gaikwad – 36 runs in 34 balls (5 Fours and 1 Sixes)
Swapnil Chaudhari – 21 runs in 22 balls
SHM Ulhasnagar (Bowling)
Kishor Khubchandani – 2 Wkts , 3 Ovr, 0 Mdn, 10 Rns
Sanju Shadija – 2 Wkts , 3 Ovr, 0 Mdn, 29 Rns
2nd Inning – SHM Ulhasnagar (Batting) –
Deepak Wadhwani– 39 runs in 33 balls (5 Fours and 2 Sixes)
Kishor Khubchandani – 31 runs in 15 balls (2 Fours and 3 Sixes)
FCC Sunrisers Team (Bowling) –
Amol Sonavane – 3 Wkts , 4 Ovr, 0 Mdn, 22 Rns
Pradeep Singh – 2 Wkts , 4 Ovr, 0 Mdn, 29 Rns
Click here for SHM Ulhasnagar VS FCC Sunrisers Match Scorecard …..
Santosh Sports Cricket Academy after opting to bat first posted a total of 72/7 in 20 overs. The batters were not able to match the run rate required for a T20 match as they had batswomen chipping in with starts but lacked someone who could come up with a big score. All-rounder Ishita Bhosle came up with an economical spell conceding only 9 runs in her spell of 4 overs alongwith 2 wkts. Shrushti with 2/19 in 4 overs was also impressive.
Chasing 73 runs was a mere formality for Sri Ma Vidyalaya girls as they chased down the total in mere 8.3 overs. Opener Mahek (23*) and Ishita coming at no.3 scored an unbeaten 38* off just 29 balls (6 fours) anchoring her team through a smooth win.
BPCL after being made to bat first scored an average 1st innings total of 269/10 in 91.2 overs. Aakarshit Gomel once again played a strokeful knock of 70 runs off 143 balls top scoring for his team while Bhavin Thakkar (42), Akhil Herwadkar (32) and Eknath Kerkar (30) chipped in with cameos. Medium pacer Rohit Talreja who bowled some stunning spells in Kanga last year continues to impress becoming the pick of the bowlers taking 6 wkts for 60 runs in 21 overs with 4 maidens.
Jain Irrigation on the other hand surpassed BPCL’s 1st innings total with a lead of 43 runs on board scoring 312.10 in 71.1 overs. Jain Irrigation team witnessed half centuries from 3 batsman namely Urvesh Patel (72 runs), Jay Bista (60 runs) and Varun Deshpande (54 runs).
Prathamesh Dake with 6/83 proved to be a difficult bowler for Jain Irrigation as he did now allow them to make a total of 400+ which at one point they were looking promising enough to score.
BPCL in their 2nd innings looked really good losing just 3 wkts in 47 overs while posting 186 runs on the board before the end of the game’s play. Vinit Indulkar (60) and Eknath Kerkar (53*) came up with solid half centuries while Jain Irrigation won the match on 1st innings lead.
The right-handed opener Jitesh Raut helped Rising Vision pull one back in the fourth Friendship Trophy 19’s T20 against Warriors C.C. on Saturday. Jitesh Raut was about to hit consecutive century in this tournament. Put in to bat, Rising Vision had made 165 for 3 at the Asahi Glass Cricket Ground Taloja in Navi Mumbai. Jitesh Raut batted through the innings, and made 93 not out off 63 ballls. Wicket-keeper Prateek too scored at less than a run a ball, but Sagar’s 29 off 27 took them to 165 for 3.
Warriors’ chase was unset on track by the openers. Warriors were bowled out for 102 in 17.0 overs, with slow left-arm orthodox spinner Vinayak taking 3 for 8 in his two overs. Digambar also impressed, picking up 2 for 9 in three overs, including a maiden. They lost last four wickets in the space of 1.3 overs. There was no looking back after that, even though Sameer Rane fought through to top score with 41.
Player of the Match, right-handed batsman, Jitesh Raut’s today-best knock of 93 not out off 63 balls, including fourteen fours, single six and strike rate of 147, also picking up 1 for 16 in two overs. Rising Vision were two down for 79 runs but Prateek and Jitesh Raut added 86 runs together for third wicket. At last, Rising Vision won by 63 runs.
Click here for Rising Vision Vs Warriors CC match scorecard …..
In front of a frenzied crowd at the Police Gymkhana Ground, Marine Drive, Mumbai on Saturday, they played out perhaps the best final ever seen in a major tournament. Once again, the ice-cool batsman Vishal Pandey threatened to drag Sony TV back from the brink, but the Reliance Capitals just about held their nerve to clinch a twenty-run victory and the Pulse Honesty White Ball Corporate T-20 League 2018-19 organized by Pulse Sports Entertainment Events. Ajinkya Balkate of Reliance Capitals won the ‘Man-of-the-Match’ and received the award from honourable chief guest Mr. Umesh Patwal (former batting coach of Afghanistan and Nepal National Teams) and Mr. Digvijay Singh (former player of Goa for Ranji Trophy).
Sony TV captain sent the Reliance Capitals in to bat. After scrapping hard to get to 156 for all out in the face of some tigerish bowling and fielding, Reliance Capitals were inspired with the ball. Merely 2 for 49 from 5 overs, 4 for 71 from 8 overs and 10 for 156 from 19 overs. And the Reliance Capitals’s bowling attack then reversed the treatment to brutally dismantle Sony TV’s chase.
The architects of the Reliance Capital triumph were, Ajinkya Balkate, Ali and Vijendra, all of whom scalped two wickets to scupper the chase. The SonyTV collapsed from 88 for 1 to 136 for 7 in pursuit of 157 in 20 overs. with Vishal (53 off 39) and Pratik (39 off 38) adding 93 runs for the second wicket, but that didn’t change the fact that Reliance Capital were the better team by far, on all counts, on the day.
Player of the Match, all-round performer, Ajinkya Balkate’s today-best knock of 47 off 32 balls, including three fours, two sixes and strike rate of 147. And Ajinkya’s 2 for 37 scuppered a good start and also rattled the middle order. In the end, Reliance Capital won the match by 20 runs. Pulse Sports Entertainment Events, they are going to organise ‘Pink Ball Cricket Tournament’ very soon. According to the leaks, 16 number of teams can participate in this tournament.
Man of the Tournament – Virendra Yadav
Tournament’s best Umpires – Prakash Rajak and Ram Saroj
Tournament’s best scorer – Avnish Prajapati
Click here for Reliance Vs Sony Final Match scorecard ….
Aman Khan who is known as an aggressive T20 batsman who can plonk big sixes showed that he can be equally dangerous in the longer formats of the game too. DY Patil B after being made to bat first scored a very healthy 1st innings total of 411/10 in 136.4 overs.
Hardik Tamore who has played some brilliant innings in the past few years continued to impress as this time he top scored for his team with a solid 148 runs. Hardik’s innings was of pure resilience batting for more than 60 overs single handedly facing 362 deliveries with 16 fours and 2 sixes. Apart from Hardik it was all-rounder Arun Yadav and Sarvesh Damle chipping in with crucial half centuries.
Fast bowlers Prashant Bhoir and Aman Khan took 9 wkts between themselves as Prashant managed to take an impressive fifer (5/77) while Aman came up with bowling figures of 4/60 as both the all-rounders rung the right bells just before MPL.
A mammoth total to chase, DY Patil A managed to dwarf their home opponents thanks to a brilliant hundred by Aman. Aman Khan took mere 95 balls to score a flashy 122 laced with 14 fours and 6 sixes making even Times Shield match look like a T20. Crucial contributions by the talented Vaidik Murkar (79) and the experienced Yogesh Takwale (74) further solidified DY Patil A’s position in the game as they chased down the score at 414/8 in 90.1 overs.