Thread by @KShriniwasRao

#Thread
Thought of highlighting contributions of some lesser-known individuals in Indian cricket who rarely / hardly get credit for the great amount of work they put. So, here’s a thread on the #TeamIndia support staff that did phenomenal work in the last 15 months. (1/22)

We know of head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar. Their contributions over the last four years, especially the last one-and-half years of the pandemic and lockdown, have been highlighted. (2/22)

What’s not been highlighted yet is the contribution of support staff who have worked with these coaches. Head physiotherapist Nitin Patel, asst physio Yogesh Parmar, head trainer Nick Webb (from NZ, he’s now quit), asst trainer Soham Desai (he is likely to replace Webb). (3/22)

Then there are some other names: Raghavindraa (Raghu), Nuwan Seneviratne (Sri Lanka), Dayanand Garani (Daya) – these are throwdown specialists; then there’s video analyst Hari Prasad Mohan and masseurs Arun Kanade and Rajeev Kumar. Their contributions have been priceless. (4/22)

Let’s start with Nitin Patel & Yogesh Parmar – head physio & assistant physio. Both had to bear brunt of Covid at work. Patel tested positive when IPL was first shifted to UAE in 2020 – was coordinating with medical team. Parmar tested positive in 2nd week of September. (5/22)

These two men had the thankless job of doing the following: Attending to cricketers who were unwell / injured / recovering / fatigued / overwrought. Between MCG, SCG and the Gabba Tests, they were literally running a hospital inside the Team India camp. (6/22)

This will give you an idea: Ishant (abdominal injury), Shami (forearm fracture), Umesh (calf strain), Jadeja (dislocated thumb), Hanuma (hamstring), Bumrah (abdomen strain), Pant (elbow concern), KL (wrist sprain). It was a nightmare. (7/22)

24x7, these 2 men were monitoring the players and that too in quarantine, with minimal outside help. I can add a bit here with first-hand knowledge: The BCCI kept pushing Cricket Australia (CA) to cater to the Indian team. It was part of their agreement ahead of the tour. (8/22)

But only in India do players get pampered. Overseas, it is tough and men like Patel & Parmar had to put in hard-yards. Same for Webb & Desai – among best trainers in business. Once players were coming back from injuries, it was up to these men to get them back in shape. (9/22)

A player unable to sleep because quarantine is taking toll, another player has lost his dad & is in great need of emotional support, someone has just found out that a relative tested positive back in India, some unable to bear the idea of ‘imprisonment’ during quarantine. (10/22)

Different individuals had different concerns. The support staff was the only unit they could run to. And to the staff’s credit, they were always around. Take Kanade and Kumar for instance – the two masseurs. Their rooms would be like hospital beds for fatigued cricketers. (11/22)

A player could walk in anytime, it could be a slightly stiff shoulder, troubling back, overworked calf-muscle, a cramped thigh. The masseurs were always at work – inside their hotel rooms. The strict quarantine inside bio-secure bubbles wasn't easy. UK was equally tough. (12/22)

Food would be served on the floor, disposable plates / spoons. On occasions, support staff and players had to do their own housekeeping. The only allowance was a makeshift gym. The team management kept insisting to Cricket Australia that more facilities must be accorded. (13/22)

Raghavindraa (Raghu) is a priceless throwdown specialist. The likes of Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni admire him. Virat wants him around during every net session. Raghu, however, couldn’t travel to Australia. He had tested positive before the team had embarked. (14/22)

The team travelled with Nuwan (another very useful throwdown specialist) and Garani (who used to be with Punjab Kings). These men threw hundreds of balls in the nets. Hundreds. They were like machines, as the team knocked away to glory. (15/22)

The same set of inconveniences got repeated during the tour of England. In fact, when Covid hit the Indian dressing room in England, it got worse. Parmar’s was the worst because the team went into a shock. He had been treating them every day, every hour. (16/22)

Every single morning there used to be a rapid antigen followed by a RT-PCR. Mandatorily. Players had to go through it every single day. Support staff coordinated. Patel headed that team. It wasn’t always easy dealing with the host board. Their protocols were different. (17/22)

Anxiety levels were always high. I remember, when Parmar tested positive and the players refused to take field for the final Test in England, the support staff was the only team continuously at work. They had to stay prepared for the Test just in case it went ahead. (18/22)

They were not in the loop whether the match was going to be played or get cancelled. They just had to continue doing their jobs. And one of their own colleagues had tested positive. Just imagine the fear. And yet not a single individual shirked his responsibility. (19/22)

BCCI must do what it can to shower praise on these men. They were Team India’s knights in shining armor. There have been others in the past, just like the present set of men. They've been of yeoman service to Indian cricket. (20/22)

Former trainer Ramji Srinivasan (the likes of Tendulkar & Sehwag owe their fitness to him), former team doctor Anant Joshi (one of the country’s leading ortho-surgeons), former masseur Ramesh Mane (Mane kaka), Andrew Leipus (one of the first professionals hired by BCCI). (21/22)

There are too many names. The important bit is these men and their contributions over the years has been priceless. Therefore, it is important we acknowledge the effort made by the support staff during this pandemic. (22/22)