Langer goes for the Iyengar twist

This time, the soft-spoken Australian opener has turned to yoga to shake off a back injury and get back in shape for the Nagpur Test starting Tuesday.

Langer’s guru? Renowned Pune-based yoga expert B K S Iyengar, who counts Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid among his disciples.

‘‘It was something he was not able to work on with his team physio and fitness instructor. He reached my place at 8.30 yesterday morning and was here for 3-4 hours,’’ says Iyengar. ‘‘He has a love for yoga.’’

‘‘Justin is very interested in yoga and believes in the relief it can provide,’’ says Jonathan Rose, the Aussie team media manager. ‘‘He got in touch with Iyengar from Bangalore and took an appointment.’’

According to Iyengar, the lessons focussed on warding off dehydration, improving reflexes, use of feet while on the field and basic postures.

‘‘It was his first and personal visit. Probably, he will come back before leaving for Australia,’’ says Iyengar, who believes that yoga must be made compulsory for cricketers. ‘‘A lot of them have been following it religiously. The problem is they do not find adequate time,’’ he says, adding the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had approached him recently to come out with a manual for Indian players.

‘‘They wanted a book on yoga only for cricketers by November 13, the day of the BCCI Platinum Jubilee celebrations. However, it would not be possible for me in such a short period, but the script will be ready by then,’’ he says.