Physios hit cricketing heights
by Vincent Ciccarello
Two
UniSA physio graduates mix it with international cricketing
superstars in the Indian Premier League.
Physiotherapists Kiran Challangundla and Andrew Leipus may come from very different backgrounds but they have a remarkable amount in common.
Challangundla was born in a small village and mostly educated in Andhra Pradesh, India. Leipus, on the other hand, was born, raised and educated entirely in Adelaide.
But a passion for sports led both to undertake master degree studies in physiotherapy at UniSA, and they both live and work in India. The similarities don’t end there, however.
Challangundla and Leipus are both senior physiotherapists with the Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket competition – the former with the Deccan Chargers, the latter with the Kolkata Knight Riders. Their jobs go well beyond injury management and ensuring team selectors have a full and fit squad to choose from.
"I am also responsible for planning practice and fitness sessions, planning recovery sessions, taking care of food arrangement during training and match days," Challangundla said.
Leipus confirmed the multi-faceted nature of the role.
"In addition to pre-season medical and musculoskeletal screenings, I also plan travel itineraries to ensure adequate recovery times, provide nutritional advice and monitor the players’ general wellbeing," he said.
From 1999 to 2005, Leipus was sports physio for the Indian Cricket Team, and so he is used to dealing with some of the game’s superstars – but it isn’t always smiles and pats on the back.
"When the team wins a match, or a player you have been treating performs exceptionally, I celebrate as hard as anyone," he said.
"But when the team is losing or players are underperforming through injury or lack of fitness, I feel a sense of disappointment.
"And there are times when confrontation with these superstar cricketers is necessary in order to perform your job effectively."
A highlight of his stint with the Indian Cricket Team was the victory over Australia in the international test match at Adelaide Oval in 2004.
"I say this with the greatest respect to the Aussies, as it was such a great feeling to have defeated the best team in the world in my own city!"
Obviously there are no hard feelings – Leipus works closely with Australian Cricket Team captain Ricky Ponting in the Kolkata franchise, which also brings him into close contact with arguably Bollywood’s biggest star, Shahrukh Khan.
Challagundla has his own fair share of superstars to work with, too.
"The Deccan Chargers has many international cricket players, such as Australians Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds, Hershelle Gibbs from South Africa, Chaminda Vaas from Sri Lanka, Scott Styris from New Zealand, and RP Singh from India," he said.
Away from the IPL, he is also physio to the Deccan Chargers’ new sports academy, a training and development facility for players of a variety of sports.
"The ultimate aim of the Deccan Chargers group is to sponsor other sports such as soccer, hockey and athletics, with a view to creating a major sports hub in Andhra Pradesh."
Challagundla, who this year was given the Outstanding Alumnus Award by Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences, is also an instructor for Adelaide-based Neurodynamic Solutions.
"My aim is to continue providing physiotherapy services to as many sports persons as I can," he said." But my ultimate goal is to indentify talent and train at least one sports person to make him or her an Olympic medallist for India."
Leipus, in the meantime, has commenced teaching physiotherapy part-time in UniSA’s School of Health Sciences.
"I hope to continue with this in some capacity in the future, as well as help grow the Leading Edge Physical Therapy clinic I have recently become involved with,"he said.
"And my association with IPL Twenty/20 is going to continue for at least the next few years."