This is what Yuvraj/Rohit Sharma/Sehwag/should do...

[Rajan]

Punter pulls out all the stops Daniel Lane September 19, 2010 IT'S 8am in his training area and Ricky Ponting grunts as he wields a rope attached to a three-kilogram medicine ball.He looks like a medieval knight swinging a mace as he works on developing explosive power by smashing the ball into a wall. Ponting hits it with such force that, if bricks bruised, the wall's colour would change from salmon to purple and black. ''Good work, that's perfect,'' yells former national team conditioner Jock Campbell, who is overseeing Ponting's program for Cricket Australia. ''Did that feel good?'' Ponting nods, then swings again. During 2½ hours of torture Ponting repeats that exercise over a series of three sets. He also has to spring from a crouch onto a metre-high stool, lift weights and fine-tune his running between wickets by turning low and catapulting himself back down the pitch. Then there's the work he does on the exercise bike and treadmill, and the ballet-type moves to improve his agility or strengthen his core. In the past few months Ponting has spent six days a week training hard to send a clear, but quiet, statement of how important the captaincy - and his place in the Australian team - is to him. Until his India-bound players see his chiselled physique at the airport today, none would realise the hell their leader has endured to start this summer in tip-top condition. ''I just want to be a successful part of a successful unit; that's all I've ever wanted to be in the team,'' the lean-looking Ponting told The Sun-Herald. ''I guess over a long period of time I've managed to do that. Last year was probably my most inconsistent season, so that's an extra incentive to do the hard work, knowing I need to have a better year. ''And there are no greater challenges. India is a place where I've always struggled. I made my first Test hundred there on the last tour and started feeling better about my game in those conditions. It's about being the best leader I can be.'' To acclimatise Ponting to the subcontinent's humidity, Campbell closes the windows at his Jock Athletic gym in Cronulla, Ponting wears a plastic jacket and the central heating is raised to 35 degrees. The torture chamber transforms into hell as the walls sweat and the stereo blares out the Katrina and the Waves song Walking On Sunshine. Campbell said Ponting's regimen was tribute to a warrior who didn't want to merely be on the same level as the game's young lions but to be better than them. ''Last year Ricky probably realised he's slowing down and he needed to do some extra stuff,'' Campbell said. ''British sprinter Linford Christie won an Olympic gold medal in his 30s, but at 35 it's clicked in Ricky's mind he needs to do more work to stay ahead of the pack. ''We're stripping the weight from him and I think Ricky will be faster than he was as a young bloke; his being lean and fast means [as a batsman] his reaction time is going to be great. Nothing will hold him back.'' http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/punter-pulls-out-all-the-stops-20100918-15h2p.html ============================================== when the going gets tough, the tough get going... At 35, Ricky was already fitter than our over weight stars-Yuvraj & Rohit. but he decides to get in to a much better training regimen to get fit . our over weight young stars are adding more calories and putting on more weight . NCA & BCCI trainers should enforce discipline and ensure our cricketers are fit and ready to take on the challenges in the coming months. Sehwag is in prime form and is scoring runs, but he looks over weight. if he improves his physical fitness, he would be able to bat long and score even more.Even Laxman can be quicker between the wickets if he is fitter. not sure our BCCI bosses would bother as long as they get revenue from telecast and other sources.

[Tendulkar_Bhai]

Cricket doesnt necessarily depend on being super fit like football etc, obviously the bowlers need to have strength and stamina but for the batsmen technique and concentration is far more important than being able to run the 100 metres in 10 seconds. Our players have never had the fitness levels of Aus but we'v outplayed them numerious times.

[Cricketics]

It's fine if you tell about Rohit and Yuvraj, but to tell same thign about Sehwag, it doesn't really make sense. Sehwag is very good fielder. You will see him diving around, taking plenty of catches etc. Plus from what i have seen, he has actually lost lot of weight compared to what he was around 2 years ago. He is shaping up like slim player, the way he initially was when he made his debut. Sehwag is always in the game.

[f.b.m]

Whatever anyone has to say about Ponting, his work ethic and attitude towards fitness is completely unquestionable. Random video on his fielding: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmV3-SfH2SY]YouTube - CATV Analysis: Why 'Punter' is the world's best fielder[/ame]

[Deleted_User_1]

Say what you will about the Aussie players, but being lazy and not giving their 100% is not one of them. If Yuvi had this attitude, he would be successful in tests instead of the porky pig he is now.

[saneindian]

Yuvraj and Rohit haven't been to the NCA since the Lanka tour got over. WOnder what are they waiting for?

[thevortex]

As Tendulkar_bhai has said above, cricket does not necessarily depend on the utmost physical fitness. But there is no reason not to praise Ponting's efforts. Ponting's pull shot was a stroke of wonder. Greased lightning and what not. Not to mention that it was played off the front foot most of the time. I would love to see that back - but hopefully not against India :).

[ravishingravi]

As Tendulkar_bhai has said above, cricket does not necessarily depend on the utmost physical fitness. But there is no reason not to praise Ponting's efforts. Ponting's pull shot was a stroke of wonder. Greased lightning and what not. Not to mention that it was played off the front foot most of the time. I would love to see that back - but hopefully not against India :).

Couldn't agree more. But he has lost his reflexes recently and the pull has become a cause for his downfall

[King Tendulkar]

Yeah we will see how yob pontings work ethic pans out when bhaji snares him as usual!

[Ram]

Our youngsters need to look no further than guys like Kumble, Dravid and Sachin to get inspiration on fitness. The funny reg. some of our cricketers is that, rather surprisingly, their fitness/shape ebbs and flows over time. Certain seasons, they’re seem quite fit, then suddenly they put on a lot of flab, then they lose weight again and the cycle continues. You can understand that kind of weight gain/loss pattern for average Joe on the streets who has a fitness conscience but is erratic with his fitness regimen, but for elite international cricketers to oscillate b/w contrasting fitness levels is very embarrassing. You don’t see that kind of thing happen often in international sports. It shows fitness isn’t really part of their lifestyle, but something they grudgingly do just because they have to.

[King Tendulkar]

Ponting should have done more fitness work. He was a bit slow in that run out:hysterical:

[gaurav92]

^ :giggle: But that shows raina attends more fitness sessions than :punter: