India's women cricketers following Kohli & Co's fitness thrust

mid-day.com speaks to Tanuja Lele, the Indian women's team strength and conditioning coach

The Indian women’s cricket team are trying to be like Virat Kohli & Co as far as their diet, workout and fitness standards are concerned, Tanuja Lele, the national women’s team strength and conditioning coach, has said. Mumbai-based Tanuja Lele, 29, is currently with Indian women’s team in Lucknow, preparing for the upcoming five ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa.

“The men are now a more fitness dominant side. The same [fitness culture] has come into women’s cricket. The girls are extremely seriously be it with their diet or workouts,” Lele told mid-day.com earlier in the week.

Lele, a former Mumbai U-19 all-rounder, who was a fitness trainer at Prabodhankar Thackeray Krida Sankul in Vile Parle, graduated in sports and exercise science in New Zealand. Lele credited ODI captain Mithali Raj and experienced pacer Jhulan Goswami, both 38, for playing a vital role in creating fitness awareness among team members.

Tanuja Lele

“When you see a player like Jhulan or Mithali do it, the youngsters tend to follow them so that’s a good example set by these seniors. They put in the hard work, they get up early, go to the gym, and run in the morning. In fact, they are making our job a lot easier by providing that awareness to the youngsters, which is extremely important,” remarked Lele, who was with the Puducherry U-19 and U-23 girls teams for the last three years.

“Jhulan and Mithali at their age are super fit. Jhulan is still the fastest bowler. To be able to bowl that many overs with so much dedication has to be praiseworthy. Every player has injuries, but to come out of them and make sure you are fit and delivering every single time you sport an Indian jersey, is most commendable. I am not saying Virat or anyone is different because of something. But considering females and their body structure and everything that we go through, all the senior players have done a commendable job,” she said.

Lele, who is with the Indian team for the first time, said she is ready for the big challenge. “These players will be playing five ODIs after a long time. Considering the schedule and everything, it will be a challenge to keep them fit and prevent injuries. But that’s part of the job,” said Lele.

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