Available online at www.scholarsresearchlibrary.com Scholars Research Library European Journal of Sports & Exercise Science, 2021, 9 (3): 11-17 (http://scholarsresearchlibrary.com) 11 Scholars Research Library ISSN:2278-005X Somatotype of Regional Cricketers of West Bengal in India Subhashis Biswas* and Ankur Biswas Department of Sports Science and Yoga, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Belur Math, India *Corresponding Author: Subhashis Biswas, Department of Sports Science and Yoga, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Belur Math, India, E-mail: subhashis01041990@gmail.com ABSTRACT Heath-Carter somatotypes were sketched on 40 regional junior male cricketers of West Bengal to understand the structural diferences according to specialization. The anthropometric profles included the measurement of fve skinfolds, two breadths, two girths along with height and weight. A signifcant diference (p ≤ 0.05) has been observed in height and humerus breadth among batsmen and bowlers according to Welch’s t-test. Batsmen are endomorphic mesomorph (3.2 – 3.4 – 2.9) and bowlers are mesomorph ectomorph (3.2 – 3.5 – 3.5). The overall mean somatotype of the Cricketers has been found balanced mesomorph (3.2 – 3.5 – 3.2). The study revealed that bowlers have relatively greater humerus breadth to support, generate maximum power from elbow joint during bowling. A lower value of relative segments (except arm girth) has been observed in cricketers compared to Phantom scores. The study suggests specifc physical training of the regional cricketers according to specialization to develop mesomorphic components. The study will help coaches, trainers, nutritionists, practitioners to implement efective training, diet schedules accordingly and data can be used as reference values for future investigations. Key words: Anthropometry, Somatotype, Cricket, Batsmen, Bowlers INTRODUCTION Somatotype is the quantifcation of human body through some specifc physical measurements. It deals with morphological state of the human physique according to the relative contribution of three fundamental elements; endomorph (fattiness), mesomorph (muscularity) and ectomorph (linearity). With a numerous variety of physical structures, it is a global consideration that specifc physical characteristics played an important role to perform at the highest level in a specifc sport [1]. Cricket is a feld based team sports played throughout the year, exposed to demanding schedules, with longer periods of training and practicing [2]. In the last decade of past century, Australia was the dominating team of world cricket, addressed their ftness and body types as the key factor of success. With the introduction of T/20, the physical demand for cricket increased dramatically. According to game format and specialized role physical demands also vary which taxes on body type [3]. Professional cricketers have a tall, athletic built body structure, with defnite morphological diferences existing between batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders [4- 6]. The batsmen tended to be shorter and lighter, although possessing greater relative fat mass than the bowlers. The bowlers were found to be tall, with long legs, broad shoulders and a small amount of fat in the thigh and shoulder regions [4]. Success in cricket, like other competitive sport, depends on various factors including physical ftness, skills, mental strength, stamina, body type as well as the morphological characteristics of the players [7]. There are hardly any scientifc data available from the Indian perspective at present regarding the Somatotype of the cricketers. Keeping in mind this gap in knowledge, this study will focus on sketch out Somatotype of junior level cricketers of