'Bumrah has been injured four times. You know why?' - Yograj Singh opens up on pacer's fitness

Yograj Singh opened up on the gym culture among the cricketers in recent times and compared it with the nearly non-existent gym culture in the past. The former Indian cricketer believed that the gym was meant for cricketers after turning 35, when the body starts to slowly give up. He felt there was no need for younger cricketers to hit the gym.

The popular cricket coach claimed that the younger players are suffering from injuries due to heavy lifting. While Yograj was fine with cricketers' pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and core work, he asked the current cricketers to avoid spending a lot of time in the gym. He felt the injuries in the past were negligible, as the bodies of the past cricketers were flexible.

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"I am shocked that cricketers go to the gym. The gym is meant for when you are 35-36 years old. Otherwise, your muscles are going to be stiff. But somebody should know what he’s doing. Your strengthening starts from the age of 36-37 when you are going down. Then I can understand the gym will work," Yograj Singh said in an interview with InsideSport.

"But today, youngsters are going to the gym. That is why we have injuries. I can say that about 30-40 years ago, injuries were zero. Because in cricket, you need a very flexible, gymnast-like body. Do things with bodyweight like pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and core work. But please, for God’s sake, stop sending cricketers to the gym," Yograj added.

Viv Richards didn’t go to the gym until he was 35: Yograj Singh

He claimed that Bumrah is prone to injuries due to working out in the gym. Yograj mentioned that cricketers such as Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya suffer from the same. He noted that the West Indian pacers in the past were highly flexible, and legends like Viv Richards went to the gym only after they turned 35.

"Bumrah has been injured four times. You know why? That (gym) is the reason. There are other cricketers as well. Mohammed Shami. Hardik Pandya. You don’t have to do bodybuilding. Back in the old days, West Indian bowlers like Michael Holding at that time they were all flexible. Viv Richards didn’t go to the gym until he was 35," Yograj added.