IPL 2018: Chris Lynn wants to avoid being like tennis player Bernard Tomic

What's the story?

Australia's explosive batsman Chris Lynn has said that he doesn't want to be like his compatriot, tennis player Bernard Tomic, when it comes to injuries. "You never want to get too far ahead of yourself because if you are someone like Bernard Tomic you get shot down pretty quickly, don't you?” the 27-year-old joked.

In case you didn't know..

Lynn has had his share of injuries in a short career so far, which has restricted him to only 1 ODI and 5 T20s for Australia since his international debut in 2014. Recently, during the 2017-18 Big Bash League, he suffered a calf strain which ruled him out of the home ODIs against England; just before that, he had returned to the game after a shoulder injury but was still feeling the effects of the same.

To remind of tennis player Tomic, he was fined $20,000 for faking an injury during a first-round loss against Mischa Zverev during Wimbledon in 2017. He had pretended to be having a back issue just in order to slow down his opponent in that match.

The heart of the matter

Lynn was cognizant of remaining injury-free during the IPL despite bagging a contract of $1.86 million from the Kolkata Knight Riders. "I have got to keep my body right because you don't get paid if you don't go," Lynn said of his upcoming IPL stint. "It's not all about the money but it is life-changing.”

Upon returning from injury for his BBL side Brisbane Heat, Lynn hit 21 from 13 balls in a short innings including two fours and sixes each. In fact, he was still being perturbed by his recent struggles and was seen not chasing the ball quickly. "I thought about diving, then I thought about my shoulder, then my calf," Lynn said.

What's next?

The eleventh edition of the IPL begins on April 7 with the first game at the Wankhede Stadium to be hosted by defending champions Mumbai Indians, who will also be hosting the final on May 27.

The Kolkata Knight Riders start their campaign against Rajasthan Royals in the 7 p.m. match on the opening day of the tournament at Jaipur.

Author's Take

While Lynn's comments may be dismissed as funny, it has been difficult for him to maintain his body to last one entire lengthy tournament. With Australia lacking power hitters and finishers in limited-overs cricket, his staying fit will be of utmost importance to them, especially with the ODI World Cup just over a year away.