PV Sindhu says recovery is key for athletes, discusses Shubman Gill’s Temple device

New Delhi: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu believes recovery is one of the most important aspects of an athlete’s performance. She says monitoring parameters such as sleep, heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive performance can help players understand their bodies better.

Sindhu, who returned to the world’s top six after winning the Hylo Open — her second major title of the year — was speaking about India cricketer Shubman Gill’s use of the Temple device, which she has been using for some time.

Asked what advice she would offer Gill on tracking data from the device to improve his performance, Sindhu said recovery should be a priority, while stressing that the parameters to be monitored could vary from one athlete to another.

“I’m sure he has his own things to look at because in their sport, definitely, recovery is a key point for everyone to take care of. When you see the data, you also understand how your body is, how the recovery is or how the sleep is. It depends on every individual. I think recovery is the most important key for anyone as an athlete,” Sindhu said.

She added that the device also tracks cognitive performance, HRV scores, heart rate and nutritional intake, including the food an athlete consumes and its macronutrient composition.

“I’m sure he (Gill) knows, he has been playing cricket for a very long time now. So it’s not that I have to say something new. But I have to just say that it’s great. I’ve been using it for a long time now and I really like it,” Sindhu said.

The 31-year-old also spoke about the value of interactions between athletes from different sports, saying conversations with India’s cricket and athletics stars had inspired her and helped her through difficult phases.

Recalling her conversations with former India captain Virat Kohli, Sindhu said his advice had helped her when she was going through a low period.

“For me, personally, I have spoken to Virat and he’s been an amazing person. We’ve had conversations and he has really given me a lot of inspiration. When I was really low at times, he told me how to pump myself up, what I need to do and just go out there and enjoy. So it had really helped me,” she said.

Sindhu also cited her conversations with Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, saying interactions with athletes from other disciplines offered valuable insights into how they dealt with success and setbacks.

“Every sport is different, every individual is different, but the hard work that they put in and getting a name for the country definitely inspires a lot of athletes,” she said.

“Seeing them, talking to them, definitely helps in knowing their perspective, how they take their success, how they feel or what they think when they are at their lows, and how they come out of that mentally. All these things definitely help,” she added.