Therapist cool in the Deccan Chargers pool

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Cricket and a little bit of swimming — indeed a unique combination the Deccan Chargers can boast of.

The Chargers’ battalion has only got richer this season with the induction of sports massage therapist Patricia Jenkins, who plays a similar role for the Australian swimming squad — led by Leisel Jones and James Magnussen — which is gearing up for another rich medal haul in the upcoming London Olympics.

It is not very often that a professional associated with a particular sport, gets simultaneously involved with another that is markedly different in nature. But Patricia has faced few problems plying her trade in the two disciplines.

“I don’t think it’s all that different irrespective of whom you are working with, be it cricketers or swimmers.

“The job that I’ve been doing with Deccan Chargers is pretty similar to the one in my clinic Unravel the Knots back home,” the 47-year-old said in a chat with this newspaper.

Patricia’s tryst with DC is not her first assignment in cricket. She had accompanied Michael Clarke and his men during Australia’s tour of South Africa last year. She, however, agrees that cricketers and swimmers do need to follow separate sets of basics.

“Swimmers don’t really have to travel much since there aren’t many high-profile competitions around.
“But the picture is drastically opposite in case of cricket that involves extensive traveling almost throughout the year. To a certain extent, it takes a toll on players as they have to throw themselves around in the field.

“That said, swimming requires a big range of movement and flexibility, especially of the shoulders, which are extremely crucial to a swimmer’s cause,” Patricia pointed out.

Growing fond of India ever since her visit during the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, Patricia’s hectic schedule doesn’t permit her fine-tune Indian swimmers.

“I simply can’t afford time here… Am just too busy with my clinic and my clients,” she confesses. At present, all she can hope is the 2009 champions, having got off to a scrappy start, stage a comeback in the ongoing IPL by unraveling the knots in their minds and making optimum use of her therapies.