When Covid hit, there was no gym for us to workout at. So, we organised a small camp, where we worked only with Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, and Prabhsimran Singh. They were all playing IPL that year in Dubai, I think. Shubman was ready to shine in the IPL because of the way we prepared during that time. He worked very hard and I think he performed very well that year. After developing the needed strength, we started working on strength-speed, where the idea is to lift weights as fast as possible. Then came speed-strength, where we reduced the weight, but increased the speed. And lastly, we directed our focus to speed, where only body-weight movements are involved, but as fast as possible. This is called the force-velocity curve.
GQ: How does he maintain his fitness levels when he’s constantly travelling and playing in tournaments?
Sagar Diwan: When the players are travelling, they have their entire team with them, which includes a physio, trainers, coaches etc. Sometimes when Shubman is in Chandigarh, I speak to the trainer of the Indian cricket team to get an idea of his current fitness levels, so we can work on what is needed.
GQ: What measures does he take to recover before matches?
Sagar Diwan: Whenever you work out, you break down your muscles. So, if you don’t recover properly after working out, it means you’re not getting stronger—you’re getting weaker. Shubman understands this very well. So, he follows a well-balanced diet to recover from his workouts. Additionally, sleep is also essential for recovery. Apart from this, of course, there are other things like taking an ice bath and going for a massage.
De-loading is also very important before matches. In the off-season, we work very hard in the gym with the players. But as the season comes closer, we start de-loading, where we don’t decrease the overall intensity, but we lessen the volume. That way, the players feel fresh and powerful while playing. So, they still hit the gym during the matches, but the program is designed in a way that they don’t feel sore or tired.
