Image Credit- MI
Suryakumar Yadav has “grown as a person and athlete” throughout the previous three months as a result of giving his all to the rehabilitation process.
At the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, Suryakumar rewired his “body and brain” to focus on the little things while he recovered from an ankle injury, a sports hernia, and right knee soreness.
In addition to suffering an ankle injury on the December tour of South Africa, Suryakumar was also found to have a sports hernia, which required surgery in January. Since then, he has worked with the NCA’s medical team in Bengaluru for the most of the previous three months.
“It’s a little difficult to describe the last three months,”Suryakumar told the official IPL website. “It has helped me grow as a person and athlete. For the first two-three weeks. I felt very bored doing the same thing during rehab. From the fourth and fifth week onwards, I realised it is important going forward. It was important to decide how I wanted to come back.”
His rehabilitation included adhering to a strict regimen, which included eating healthfully and getting adequate sleep to support his body’s healing. He also began to do other things that he had never done before, such as read a book.
“When I spoke to my wife, all the people at NCA, they said it has to be the second version of yourself,” Suryakumar said. “You have to be a little different when you come back on the field. I started doing small things, like sleeping on time, following a good diet.
“I’d never read a book in my life, but I started doing that as well. Getting up in the morning, spending good quality time at the rehab centre, focusing on everything, connecting myself, my brain and body with the rehab, it helped me really well to recover faster because I had two-three niggles together.”
Suryakumar admitted to feeling helpless while watching Mumbai lose their first three games from afar, but he is now ready to hit the ground running for his side.
“It’s always difficult sitting and watching when your team is playing,” he said. “I watched half the games, because I was sleeping on time, by 10-10.30. I used to watch only half the innings. Of course, I’d watch the whole game next day.
“It was difficult, but it gave me a lot go motivation and inspiration looking at them that they’re playing there, and I have to work hard on my recovery to get there as soon as possible.”