Date discipline tonight!

 There was magic in the air when Kieron Adrian Pollard tried to latch on to half a chance at the boundary during an IPL bout between Mumbai Indians and the Kochi Tuskers. Next day, the moment was plastered across national dailies. Had he managed to cling on to the ball, it might have turned out to be the catch of the tournament. But the 6ft 5in cricketer from Trinidad shrugs it off as another day at work.

Be realistic
“You can’t control everything in life,” says the 23-year-old all-rounder, who is also one of the game’s youngest multimillionaires. “The idea is to try and give it all you have.”

Philosophy at such young age might end up sounding like wisecrack unless you have the bills to back it up. But Pollard has come up the hard way. With batting averages of just 12.7 in T20Is and 20.7 ODIs, he is the only cricketer in the world playing in domestic leagues on four different continents – yet, this Twenty20 pin-up doesn’t have his head too high up in the swirling clouds.

“Nothing has changed. I take it as a very normal situation. You are still doing what you used to,” he says, managing to sound casual. “I fancy myself playing for another 10-15 years, at least.” And that, he knows, is not going to be as easy as bludgeoning a scuffed-up cricket ball out of the park.

Adapt quickly
Pollard’s goal has him working hard on his fitness. He surrounds himself with passionate people like team-member Dwayne Bravo who egg him on mentally and physically. “Being cricket fit is different from being football fit,” he says. “When you train for cricket it’s about how fast you can adapt to situations.”

For instance, one needs to adjust to different formats of the game, quickly. Twenty20 is more about power. For a 50-over match, cricketers have to work on their stamina. Pollard goes for four-kilometer runs, twice a week, to stock up on endurance. “You can also try ten 100m runs with less rest in between,” he says before revealing that most modern day cricketers also design their diet according to the venues of games.

“If it’s too hot, you got to eat the right food that can uphold your metabolism during the game,” Pollard says. “But to be honest, I don’t stick to any specific diet. You have to know the difference between what is good and what you can’t have too much. And if by any chance, I treat myself to KFC and ice cream, I make sure that I throw in an extra session of cardio and endurance the next day.”

Think family
Pollard’s first brush with cricket took place at around age 11 after watching his hero Brian Lara on TV. He broke into the limelight when he was about 17. “It was tough to get a berth in the national squad,” says Pollard, who comes from a modest background. “My family and its values are very important to me. They have taught me that hard work actually pays in the long run.”

For a cricketer who has to travel all around the world, spending quality time with family is a rarity. To make up for it, he ensures that his mobile phone is switched off whenever he is home. “Just sign off. Focus on what’s happening around you. Take your family out on trips. Spend quality time with them,” says Pollard while playing with his one and half-year-old son, Kaiden. This explosive cricketer, nicknamed “Danger”, points out an important aspect of fatherhood.

“After Kaiden, my approach to batting has changed,” he says. “Now, whenever I am on the field, a little voice at the back of mind urges me to be responsible. It tells me not to throw my wicket away. In hindsight, fatherhood has taught me to be accountable in life.”

Date discipline
Pollard understands that in his business, the difference between success and failure is a fit body and mind. He is almost brutal in his training, spending an extra hour or two at the nets long after his team mates are back in the dressing room. He focuses on practical skills, not mirror muscles. “Optimal fitness is not about sporting a six pack. They only look good on TV or the beach,” he says.

“I concentrate on what I need. A lot of sprints for speed, with timers. I try to improve on my times. For agility, I do shuttles with turning, staggered running and instant changes of directions.”

To sum it up, we can’t guarantee you a berth in the Mumbai Indians during the next IPL. But if you follow Pollard’s advice, adopt his attitude towards training hard, eating with discipline and keep things in your life simple, you will find yourself fitter, leaner and more agile. Perhaps, even ready to pluck that impossible catch out of thin air.

Prepare like pollard Kieron Pollard’s resilience on the field wouldn’t have been possible without a disciplined approach to fitness. The Twenty20 specialist focuses on agility and endurance that help him at the highest level of the game. “Focus on practical skills, not mirror muscles,” he says. Like this powerhouse, get these stamina boosters into your training schedule. Sprints: To build up speed, do 40m, 60m and 100m sprints with timers and try to improve on your times each time. Work up the intensity. Shuttles: To improve agility, do shuttles, with 20m in between, with turning, staggered running and instant changes of directions, as well. Running: Stamina will take you the distance. To stock up on endurance, go for four-km runs twice weekly, or 10 100m runs with little rest in between.