Play time cut down to shield players from burning sun

Cricketers in Kerala adapt to extreme heat with water intake, stretching exercises, and earlier match start times.

With the temperature rising all over the State, it’s hot and sweaty indoors and one is forced to take a frequent shower. But how do cricketers, who are in action for long hours during the hottest part of the day, handle the burning sun?

“We have been told to have a lot of water at night the day before matches. We also do a lot more stretching exercises. But we need to start matches earlier, at least by 8 a.m.,” said R. Harikrishnan, the leading batter of defending champion Muthoot Microfin CC soon after his Ernakulam District A-Division Cricket League match, against YCCC, at the St. Paul’s College ground here on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old stayed the longest at the crease this afternoon and was his team’s top scorer with 63 but Harikrishnan is used to burning conditions as he hails from Kalpathy in Palakkad, currently Kerala’s hottest district with the temperature frequently over 40 degrees Celsius.

With this being the situation, Palakkad has decided to restrict its A-Division League to 30-over matches.

“This is the first time we will have 30 overs in our A-Division which will begin on April 13. We played 45 overs earlier,” said T. Ajitkumar, the secretary of the Palakkad District Cricket Association.

Malappuram has also decided to limit its A-Division League to 30 overs a side.

The A-Division in Kerala frequently used to start around October but the changes in the Kerala Cricket Association’s player registration rules and the common platform (app) for all districts delayed the leagues’ start by five to six months.