Sourav more skilled player than Kaif: Leipus

Kolkata, Nov 13 (UNI) Former Team India physio Andrew Leipus today said it was up to the selectors to choose between skill and fitness, as Sourav Ganguly was a more skilled player than Md Kaif who was fitter, if the choice boiled down to taking either of the two.

'' Sourav Ganguly is superior to Mohammed Kaif as far as skill is concerned, while Kaif is a fitter cricketer. He is among the fittest players in the world. The selectors should decide which one they want-- the fitter one or the more skillful one. It depends on their focus, '' said Leipus here.

Mr Leipus was speaking on the sidelines of a workshop at the Cricket Association of Bengal for the physios of West Bengal. While pointing out the importance of being fit to be a successful cricketer, he said India needs many more trained support staff to keep its cricketers fit.

'' You need people who have enough knowledge about injury management, and for that you need to provide them with proper training. I find that the BCCI is very enthusiastic about it. The state bodies are also catching up very fast. We need more certified fitness trainers, '' Mr Leipus said.

Asked about the recent spate of injuries among India cricketers, Mr Leipus said, '' (John) Gloster is doing an excellent job. But it's not possible to be prepared for injuries. A player can injure himself at any moment.'' Referring to the injuries of Ajit Agarkar and Yuvraj Singh, Leipus termed the injures as ''freak'' ones. The important thing was how quickly they would recover. '' I hope they will be fit before the World Cup, '' the South African remarked.

He also rubbished the view that cricketers should not play games like kho kho, which exposes them to injuries. '' In my country, cricketers play football, volleyball and what not at the practice sessions. There's nothing wrong with playing other games. The same warm-up exercise may create boredom. That's why variation is needed,'' he said.

Mr Leipus will be here in Kolkata for five days and taking classes with the physical trainers here to improve their standard.

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