Cricket is one of the most popular sport activities in the World. Especially in countries like India, Cricket has become a religion. The game attracts millions of fans and spectators around the world. In the modern cricketing era, the game has transformed itself into shorter formats, entertaining and attracting fans around the world. Cricket requires fitness, physical as well as mental and many cricketers you will see practicing Yoga.

There is a test called Yo-Yo fitness test to examine a player whether he is capable of playing a match. Players spend much of their time working out in the gym to pass Yo-Yo Fitness test with the desire to get selected for the team. Thus, Fitness plays a significant role in cricket. While a majority of the cricketers resort to the gym, there are ample of Cricketers Practicing Yoga regularly. Let’s see what these cricketing legends have to say on Yoga!

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar, popularly known as ‘Master Blaster’, ‘The Little Master’ and ‘The God of Cricket’ is an Indian cricketing legend widely known for his masterful batting skills. Tendulkar is the only cricketer in the world to score 100 centuries across all formats of the game. He has several records in his name, which, even to this day, is unbroken by any other cricketer.

Yoga was a compulsory fitness regime for Tendulkar. You could see him Practicing Yoga on and off the field. An ardent follower of BKS Iyengar, a popular Yoga Teacher, and Tendulkar recalls his experiences with him. He admits that BKS Iyengar taught him Yoga.

“His [BKS Iyengar] serene and light-hearted approach struck me… I will always be thankful for the asanas he taught me. Practicing those asanas helped me a lot throughout my cricketing career.” said Tendulkar speaking on the benefits of Yoga.

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan rose to international fame in 2013 when he played against Australia. He scored a thunderous 187 runs in his debut match, breaking a long-time record of Gundappa Vishwanath. His knock remains the highest score scored by a debutant in tests to this day.

However, Dhawan suffered more injuries and was out of the form for a long time. Even though he made his comeback with enthusiasm, he failed to get runs. His poor concentration mauled him repeatedly. Finally, he decided to take up Yoga as a tool to improve his concentration.

His Yoga Guru Manoj Kumar says “Yoga has helped him focus his aggression in a positive direction and he has become far more controlled in his approach. He practices Pranayama, Sun Salutation, Headstand, Shoulder Stand, Backbend and other balancing postures.”

 Justin Langer

Justin Langer, former Australian batsman and the current coach has something to say on Yoga. Yoga was at least priority to him before 2004. After taking Yoga with his instructor Kate, Langer fell in love with the practice. To hear him in his own words, this is what he says:

“Before the tour of India in 2004, Yoga was way down in my list of training priorities. But that’s all changed now. Seven weeks with Kate doing Yoga every day changed everything. It’s the first time I found a way of training I looked forward to, that I can enjoy while I am doing it… My motivation stayed high for seven weeks and at the end, I felt like a 21-year-old again. It was awesome.”

Bishan Singh Bedi

Bishan Singh Bedi was one of the members of Indian spin quartet in the 1970s. Known for his left-arm orthodox bowling, Bedi contributed to Indian test victories in West Indies, Australia, England and New Zealand for nearly a decade.

Bedi adopted a Yoga lifestyle earlier when started playing cricket. Since then, he has been a strong advocate of Yoga. Bedi practices Yoga even at the age of 72. He says “Yoga is universally beneficial for all humanity if indulged quietly.”

Mitchell Marsh

Mitchell Marsh is an Australian Cricketer and current Vice-captain of the Australian Test and T20 team. Marsh is a batting all-rounder who has represented Australia in all three formats of the game.

Marsh was introduced to Yoga by his teammate Cameron Bancroft, an Australian cricketer who is banned for ball tampering. Since then, Marsh has found a way through Yoga to glide through his debilitating injuries. Speaking on the benefits of Yoga, in an interview he said:

“I actually started going with Cam Bancroft. I train with him every day at Western Australia, I wanted to do something with him during his time off – yoga has changed my life, really. It’s the best thing I’ve done. I think it has really helped me in my cricket and helped my ability to move on the field. Hopefully, I will keep getting better.”

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