- Suryakumar Yadav revealed that desserts and ice creams were among the first things he cut down on.
- The cricketer said butter chicken and biryani never left his menu, but he focused on portion sizes.
- His routine included gym sessions, running, batting, yoga, meditation, stretching and proper recover
Butter chicken, biryani, desserts and a fit body may not sound like things that belong in the same fitness plan. But for cricketer Suryakumar Yadav, they somehow do.
The India star recently opened up about his fitness journey, training routine and food habits. His approach is far more relatable than a strict “no carbs, no sugar” diet.
Suryakumar revealed that he and his wife, Devisha Shetty, made several lifestyle changes when he started seriously working towards playing for India.
One of the biggest changes was cutting down on sugar. And yes, that meant saying goodbye to his favourite desserts and ice creams, at least for a while.
“We both are foodies. She (Devisha) enjoys a lot of food. I also enjoy a lot of food. But then we had to cut down on a lot of things,” he said in an interview with Humans of Bombay.
When asked what was the biggest food change, Suryakumar had a quick answer: “Definitely desserts, ice creams and everything.”
The cricketer admitted that he has a major sweet tooth. However, he did not completely remove his favourite foods from his diet. Instead, he focused on balance and portion control.
“I still try and do it sometimes, but then I try and reward myself whenever I feel that I've done something, I have achieved something,” he said.
And if you thought butter chicken and biryani were completely off the menu, think again. Suryakumar made it clear that his fitness plan was not about giving up every food he loved.
“Butter chicken never went off the menu,” he said. “Biryanis, they were always there on the menu.”
The trick was simply to watch the quantity. “You can eat it. But then portion is all. Portion is what matters the most,” he explained.
His fitness routine also involved a lot more than just batting practice. After getting married in 2016, Suryakumar and his wife started having conversations about what he needed to change if he wanted to take his cricket to the next level. That meant cutting down on late nights, Friday and Saturday outings and giving his body enough time to recover.
He eventually followed a structured routine that included gym sessions, running, batting practice, yoga, meditation, stretching and recovery days. Some days involved two training sessions, while weekends could be used to rest, spend time with family or simply go for a drive and enjoy a meal.
The change was not instant. Suryakumar said he initially found it difficult to give up his usual weekend plans. But within a few weeks, he noticed a difference.
“I started feeling different. My body reacted completely different when I went on the ground. I was fresh. I was thinking positive. I was very relaxed at that time,” he recalled.
For Suryakumar, fitness has clearly been less about extreme restrictions and more about finding a routine he could stick to. Train hard, recover properly, eat your favourite foods in moderation and keep working.
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