If the South African team is looking at home in the scorching Indian summer, the credit largely goes to its physio, Shane Jabbar.
The first Test in Chennai was played under extremely difficult conditions, as the temperatures, combined with humidity, reached nearly 35 degrees Celsius. But the visitors never, even for a single moment, appeared unperturbed or showed the ill-effects of it during the match.
Jabbar, who is South Africa's physio since 2001 and has visited the subcontinent on more than 20 occasions, brought all his experience into play to prepare the team for the tough conditions touring teams encounter in India, especially during the summer months.
"The conditions are obviously very different to what we have experienced in South Africa. But we have had a fair experience of the conditions because we have toured India quite regularly, like for the Champions Trophy last year. We were in Bangladesh last month where we got a feel of the subcontinental conditions; but it was not as hot, and only towards the end of our tour," he told rediff.com in Ahmedabad.
Jabbar said his experience during the Afro-Asia Cup last June helped him get a feel of the conditions and prepare accordingly for the ongoing tour.
"When we were in Chennai last year for the Afro-Asia Cup it was hotter than what it is right now. In Durban also it gets hot but the temperatures are not so high. That experience last year in Chennai helped us a lot and made a big difference in our preparations. This time it was not as bad as it was at the Afro-Asian Cup last year," he said.
The veteran physio explained that, as a rule, the players have to consume a specific amount on fluids, whether they want it or not. He says the players lose a lot of liquid because of constant sweating and it is necessary to replace the lost fluids in the body.
"I have been on around 28-29 tours to the subcontinent already and the way that we plan about it is that we identify a few players who are prone to developing heat exhaustion, cramping etc. So we put into place mechanisms to identify their electrolyte imbalances. We have come prepared with good electrolyte solutions and rehydration mechanisms," he said.
Jabbar said his job is to ensure that players do not suffer from cramps, or other heat-related ailments, and are 100 percent at all times, enabling them to perform to their maximum potential on the field.
"We concentrated on a lot of recovery, and as quickly as possible, after the guys have had a training session. So we had ice baths, massage sessions, pool sessions for stretching and rehydration programmes for the guys. In other words, the guys are taking in fluids as a rule when they come off the field. They will take in 500ml fluid more than anything else when they come off the field, and in the mornings, before they start, we give them 500ml fluid as well. There is a rule that you got to put in 500 ml of fluid in every hour.
"So, for instance, when the guys were batting in Chennai, we had drinks taken out to them for every 20 minutes. We had very specific rules that 200ml of fluid was sent in and they had to finish it. They didn't have a choice and they had to drink that. It was a testament to the fact that none of the guys cramped in Chennai and it was really hot out there," Jabbar added.
The physio said the players have been successfully using the cooling neckerchiefs, which also helps fight the extreme heat.
"We have been using the green neckerchiefs, which we put around their necks. It is like a radiator cooling system so all the blood flow that is flowing past the neck is cooling down and then going down from the head.
"The neckerchief is filled with gel, which we put into ice-cool water to cool it down. So when the guys are on the field we tie it around their necks. It is a way of regulating their core body temperatures and keeps it down. It is something that we have tried in South Africa for a while. We have got a company in South Africa that makes it and it was successfully tried in the [2003] World Cup in the West Indies, where it was warm and temperatures high. So when we come to the subcontinent, where the temperatures are high, we need it all the time mostly," he said.
Jabbar says batsmen have also been asked to take extra precaution, like removing their helmets at every possible opportunity.
"The other thing we have done is taking the ice towels after them; so we keep the guys' temperatures down whenever they take a break. The other thing is to get the guys to take their helmets off more regularly because the helmet is a way of trapping heat inside the body and, therefore, it pushes up the core temperature. And the other thing we have done whenever we have got the opportunity during lunch time is to get the bowlers into ice baths to keep the body temperature down," he says.
Jabbar said identifying the players who are more prone to suffering from heat-related exhaustions, like cramps, made his task easier.
"We now have a good idea of who those players are and give them special attention to them. We give them some supplements before play in the morning every day before play. We make sure that those are the guys we look after carefully. We monitor their weights before the start of play everyday, then again at lunch time and at the end of play. So we can tell how much fluids they have lost because you just don't lose weight itself, you lose fluids and that decreases your body weight. That gives us a rough indication of how much fluids we have to replace. So we take the guys one on one after the game and decide on how much has fluid has to be taken in," he says.
He is relieved though that Ahmedabad, where the second Test is being played, is not as humid as Chennai.
"We will employ the same strategy as Chennai, but I think it will be a bit easier for us here [Ahmedabad] because it won't be as humid. So the guys will not sweat much, which will make it easier for us."
