The temperature in Kolkata has reached 41 degrees and is likely to remain the same till the end of the month.
Kolkata: The City of Joy is currently experiencing severe heat wave these days. While the temperature metre was just under 40 degrees for the past three days, it finally soared to 40.8 degrees on Friday and is likely to remain the same till Monday (April 22). According to the meteorological department, the temperature is likely to remain the same till the next week. Playing cricket under these severe circumstances is really challenging but the players have no other option but to combat the conditions.
Well, from a fan’s perspective, the players live a very lavish life, both on and off the field. Also it doesn’t come outside what the players go through to bring a smile on the face of supporters at the end of the day. In a first for any franchise in the Indian Premier League, two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have come out with a video, letting their fans know what it takes to be fit on the ground with close to 41 degrees above their head.
KKR’s Strength and Conditioning coach, Sagar, explained how they prepare the boys for a day game in IPL and how difficult it is for the body to play in such conditions. “Quite honestly, the last few days have been very hot and the summer has started indeed,” Sagar explained.
The heat is on in Kolkata! 🔥
Hear from our coaches about the team’s preparation to stay hydrated and ready under the 🌞! pic.twitter.com/zgirPS8F2W
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 21, 2024
“One of the things that we often tell players is to make sure that they are hydrating well. The most basic thing, water. And we also have some electrolytes and all those things, basically salt tablets, that helps them to replenish the salts they lose during the practice,” he added.
“And the other is that they make sure they have a good meal post their training. So they replenish all the carbohydrates stores, so it helps them to feel recovered,” Sagar said. He also informed that players practice in the afternoon to adapt to the conditions.
Meanwhile head coach Chandrakant Pandit too spoke about the care KKR, as a franchise, take off the players. “Most of the game that we have been playing is under lights. So obviously we have to give a thought on that. The way we played in the last game (vs LSG) in the daylight and we have to take care of the players as well. The preparations, what we have been doing, I think we take a lot of care of the players that they should not be overdoing it.
“At the same time, ofcourse the water intake has to be a lot and basically spending so much time in the middle, especially immediately coming into the dressing room and going out for warm ups and other skills. So we normally try to reduce the time to take care of that. And ofcourse the lights are entirely different.
“In a day game the vision is completely different and in a night game the vision is completely different. SO obviously that heat also plays a major role because you tend to get tired as well. You must have seen the duration of the practice are also reduced,” he added. As far as the game is concerned, this is a do-or-die match for RCB, who have just won one game out of seven. KKR are third with four wins.