"Myoplex (a nutrition shake), electral or carboplus (a carbohydrate drink) are the only supplements I have ever prescribed to the guys," explains Andrew Leipus, physical trainer of the Indian cricket team.

In a telephonic conversation with rediff.com from Harare, Zimbabwe, newly-wed Leipus rubbished suggestions that some players in the Indian team indulge in steroids and other banned substanes to enhance their performance.

"I have never seen anything strange going on with the players, or else I would have confronted them upfront. I monitor their intakes closely," he said.

Excerpts, from an interview with Faisal Shariff

Allegations that Indian players use steroids have surfaced -- how is the team taking it?

It is very disturbing, and laughable at the same time. Whoever has put out that story has little or no knowledge of the difference between diet supplements and steroids. Just throwing some technical jargon about performance enhancing drugs into a story to make it sound sensational is a sad act, I reckon.

Personally, it puts me in bad light. All the hard work that I have done to get the players fitter and better has been washed away with this allegation.

According to the reports, Ajit Agarkar has developed stronger legs, a better shoulder and bowling arm after you treated him.

This is exactly what I am talking about. Ajit has worked hard on his physique. He has done pretty well already. He drinks Myoplex regularly. In fact in the gym, Ajit lifts the heaviest of weights compared to the others, who are still scared of lifting heavy weights. In a lighter vein, it is flattering that people are actually noticing that Ajit is putting on weight and building muscle. My hard work is paying off.

Have you ever recommended or prescribed performance-enhancing drugs or steroids to any of the players?

"In a lighter vein, it is flattering that people are actually noticing that Ajit is putting on weight and building muscle. My hard work is paying off."

I have never asked anyone to use steroids ever. I have never even asked them to use cortisone injections to mask pain.

One needs to understand when and how steroids can help performance in a cricketer.

Anabolic steroids will not help this team at all. You have to stress for it to make the adaptation. When you train hard you stress and push yourself to the maximum. Steroids help that adaptation. But only if you have pushed yourself to your full genetic potential can steroids help you. Therefore there is in any case no point in taking steroids.

Could you elaborate on that? Why won't it help our cricketers to push that little further?

The Indian cricket team does not work hard enough in the gym to benefit from the use of steroids. Indian cricketers do not push themselves to their genetic potential. Steroids help people in the gym enormously. A steroid is a hormone with acute response. It requires a chronic adaptation. If you are into heavy weight training, steroids will help you a lot.

But our guys, when in the gym, don't train so hard, their training is not really intensive. When you work in the gym, you are basically pushing yourself past your limit and causing the body to break down. The body then needs rest for repair work. With the kind of traveling that these guys do, it is impossible for them to have an intensive workout on a regular basis. Their training is on a basic maintenance basis.
During off-season I do get them to indulge in heavy training, but you don't want them to leave half their energy back in the gym. To use steroids after such irregular workouts would be simply wasting their time. The steroid would be washed out of their system.
You can't take an average person off the street put him in the gym and after a workout give him a steroid and expect him to be superman. It just doesn't work like that.

Azhar has said that he used cortisone in the 1992-'93 season, after his operation. Is that common practise with the team?

"The Indian cricket team does not work hard enough in the gym to benefit from the use of steroids."

I have never asked anyone to use a cortisone injection. I am not supposed to. With the exception of acupuncture needles, I have never injected a single syringe in my life, to anyone. With regards to cortisone, it is a local-acting steroid. It is used because of its tissue-healing ability. It will only work on one spot, and doesn't spread in the body, it doesn't give you all round body strength. If you have an inflamed tendon, or say a tennis elbow, then you inject it in that spot. And if you miss the spot, it won't work.

Excessive use of cortisone can actually weaken the tissue and cause tendon ruptures. It should be used very carefully. And finally, cortisone is not a muscle-building steroid anyway.

What do you prescribe for inflammations, then?

Voveran, the anti-inflammatory, is used worldwide. It is non-steroidal and completely safe. Whenever a player feels stiff or crampy, I use Tizan, a muscle relaxant, again non-steroidal. I ask the player to take it at night, since it makes one drowsy. It eases the muscles.
I think the only time anesthetics were used was in Australia when Ramesh injured his finger and we asked the Australian physician if a local anesthetic could be used so he could bat again the next day. If you take a peep into my kitbag, you will find stuff that is easily available at local pharmacies.

"With the exception of acupuncture needles, I have never injected a single syringe in my life, to anyone."

There is a suggestion that you give a ready-made powdered formulation, imported from Australia, mixed with water to the players. What is that?

That is Myoplex. *laughing* It is a nutrition shake. And I procured it from South Africa, since it's very expensive here in India. The guys use it, and it is very good. And just for the record, it isn't a steroid.

If you were to recommend something to enhance performance of the players, who according to you are not that fit, what would it be?

I would recommend that each one of the players have a 'personal trainer', who kicks their butts.

You say that there is no place for steroids in cricket. Then, how do you explain Western Australian bowler Duncan Spencer using Nandrolone?

Look, the Indian and the Australian body structures and genetic make-up differ. Nandrolone is a power-steroid used by power athletes. Maybe, he took it to get stronger quickly to excel in his performance and get into the Australian team. But I would say he has been ill advised to use it, because it won't help.

Also read:
'Outlook' responds to Gaekwad
Gaekwad makes drugs claim

Earlier Interviews

Mail Cricket Editor