India, Oct. 2 -- For professional athletes, staying match-ready often means being careful about what goes on the plate. But Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav's approach to food is less about completely banning his favourite dishes and more about knowing when to indulge and when to hold back.

In a September 19 interview with Humans of Bombay, the 36-year-old cricketer opened up about the lifestyle changes he made as he worked towards playing for the country, including his diet, training schedule and recovery routine. (Also read: 'Angrezi vs Indian uncle': Fitness coach compares 80-year-old men in West doing push-ups to Indian men with pot bellies )

Suryakumar said both he and his wife, Devisha Shetty, are food lovers, which made changing...