ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Shankar Basu to return to the Indian team
What’s the story?
Less than five months after handing in his resignation Shankar Basu will return to the Indian team as the strength and fitness conditioning coach for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. India coach Anil Kumble and captain Virat Kohli were believed to be in favor of Basu’s return to the team.
According to Sporstar, Anand Date, who filled in for Basu during the limited-overs leg of the England series. the solitary Test against Bangladesh and the Test series against Australia will be replaced ahead of the eighth edition of the tournament. It is also learnt that not only will this be a permanent move but his family will also be allowed to travel with him on tours three times a year.
The Background
The man largely credited for the vast improvement in the fitness levels of several Indian stars and introduction of latest methods, Basu took a break from the Indian side after the Chennai Test against England to attend to a few family issues and his business – the Primal Patterns Holistic Fitness Studio located in Chennai.
The heart of the matter
Basu, who has always maintained that his aim is to take the fitness of Indian players to the next level has been the driving force behind several innovations when it comes to fitness. He has worked with Kohli on the latest power training techniques and been credited with the improvement in fitness of several Indian stars, including Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav.
Basu first joined the side in June 2015 and introduced methods such as Dexa Scan, Yo Yo training, and load monitoring app.
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What’s next?
Once IPL 2017 comes to a close on May 21, the Indian players will travel to England where they will take part in the Champions Trophy. Kohli’s men will play two warm-up matches, against New Zealand and Bangladesh before their tournament opener against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 4.
Author’s Take
The taxing nature of professional cricket shouldn't be underestimated even if the people in question aren't cricketers. It was a great move by the BCCI to allow Shankar Basu to take some time off to attend to personal issues after the Chennai Test. The fact that he is now back permanently is only good news for India as they look to defend the title they won in 2013.