Let us get one small detail straight.
The Murali Vijay statement about the BCCI, and how cricketers above 30 are treated in India - a big statement in a landscape where lips are often sealed - was made in the context of Shikhar Dhawan바카라s one-day chances.
But Vijay바카라s answer eventually did touch upon his own career, and that of other 30-plus cricketers, save for exceptions like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
This is what he said to a question asked by former India batsman WV Raman in a video interview. A bit of it was tongue-in-cheek and not as serious as it sounds on paper.
바카라After 30 in India, it바카라s a taboo [to pick a player of that age],바카라 said the 38-year-old Test specialist. 바카라I think people see us as 80-year-olds walking on the street. This is how people바카라s mentality is, or the media is addressing it that way. They should change a little bit. I feel in the 30s you are at the peak. Now [at this age] I feel I can bat the way I can bat. But fortunately or unfortunately the opportunities are less, and I got to search for my opportunities outside. I바카라m almost done with BCCI and I want to find my ways abroad, and play little bit of competitive cricket.바카라
Vijay last played a Test for India in 2018, when he was 34. It is clear, therefore, that his form and the rise of other players had as much to do with his chances drying up as age. In any case, with 61 Test matches for India, 3982 runs and 12 centuries, with ODI and IPL appearances, he had a successful career.
Yet, Vijay바카라s statement was surprising considering this is an era in which players in different sports often play till their 40s. Sachin Tendulkar laid his bat down at 40. MS Dhoni, 41, is still playing the IPL and represented India till his late 30s. Rahul Dravid, too, played till 38. England seamer James Anderson aims to play the 2025-26 Ashes, when he will be 43.
Playing till the 40s or thereabouts is not a recent phenomenon either. Sunil Gavaskar was a grey-haired 37 when he produced one of the greatest knocks of his life, 96 on a rank turner in Bangalore against Pakistan. Geoffrey Boycott could cure insomnia with his dull batting, but his dedication to self-preservation also meant he played till 41, at a time when cricketers did not have the advanced training methods and diets of today.
What is ageing?
But ageing does start at some point. And it can happen without warning. Everything is going fine and then suddenly you start feeling slower, achy and whatnot.
For Rostyn Griffiths, Mumbai City FC바카라s Australian footballer, it started at 32.
바카라Thirty-two was the first time I felt different in my body,바카라 Griffiths told Outlook. 바카라Recovering after games or hard gym sessions took longer. And the other big change for me was diet. I realized that I was putting on weight quicker than before. So I had to worry more about what I was eating, what I was drinking.바카라
Reflexes slow down, vision sometimes gets weaker and players have to work out in the gym judiciously. Another, somewhat lesser-known effect of ageing on an athlete is a decrease in oxygen absorption.
바카라One big reason we see declines in aerobic (or endurance) athletic performance with age is that our bodies can바카라t use oxygen as effectively,바카라 Chris Minson, physiology professor at the University of Oregon, once wrote in The Conversation. Further on, he said, 바카라The reason VO2 Max declines with age is that our maximal heart rates go down as well.바카라
The perception of 30-plus players
There are perks and downs to being the older player in the dressing room. You are looked at with some respect, as long as you have performed. But you are not a part of future plans. Contracts tend to be for a shorter duration too. Decision-makers such as coaches and selectors do see older players a bit differently, feels Griffiths.
바카라People definitely bring age up a lot [after a player crosses 30],바카라 he says. 바카라There's a greater level of respect shown towards you from coaching staff. Having said that, contract lengths may be a little bit shorter, or things like that, that you didn't have to worry about when you were younger.바카라
Modifications in exercise and lifestyle are time-tested ways to prolong careers. The seeds of Lionel Messi바카라s longevity and his 2022 resurgence were sown about a decade ago. His diet at the time was Ron Swanson-like, heavy on red meat, pizza and soft drinks. But there came a time when he would regularly vomit on the field. He got frequently injured too. Messi, then consulted a respected, slightly offbeat Italian doctor named Giuluano Poser. Out went the tasty culprits 바카라 the meat, pizza and soda. In came the staid saviors 바카라 vegetables, fruits, water 바카라 along with talk therapy and Bach Flower remedies.
Griffiths plays in much smaller leagues than Messi. But the process is more or less similar for professionals at any level. Griffiths too started paying closer attention to diet after a certain point in his career.
바카라I eat a lot less food than I used to,바카라 he says.
Sometimes, old is gold
The value an older player can bring to a team can바카라t be doubted. After all, it was a 35-year-old Messi, who inspired Argentina to World Cup victory recently.
Some years ago, Ed Smith, the former England cricketer, and then writer and selector, gave an example of how old can prove to be gold. As a child, he had wanted a new bat, and coaxed his father to come to the store. His father, a wise man, carried Ed바카라s old bat along. Once there, he demonstrated to his son, through drills, that the old bat performed better than the new one.
바카라We are hardwired to admire novelty,바카라 Smith wrote. 바카라This applies even to selecting cricket teams. International teams often miss out on valuable contributions from experienced players who they have for long passed over or written off. In the rush to find a new brand, we neglect existing stock that could still do the job.바카라
