Sydney, July 31 (NationPress) Australia captain Alyssa Healy has made subtle modifications to her wicketkeeping technique to help alleviate the physical strain on her body as she prepares for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Healy hasn't donned the gloves in a competitive match since the ODI series against England during the Ashes in January. In that series, she participated in the Test as a specialist batter due to a recurrence of a foot injury initially incurred at the prior year's T20 World Cup. Additionally, a separate knee injury curtailed her WBBL campaign.

She clarified that while the adjustments may not be readily apparent, they involve adopting a slightly more upright stance - a hybrid style integrating elements of wicketkeeping techniques traditionally taught in both Australia and England.

"We've been taught how to keep wickets a certain way in this country for an extended period of time," Healy stated at a Cricket Australia event.

"Ultimately, it's not particularly efficient for our bodies, and doing it at 35 isn't ideal.

"We are exploring ways to ease the burden on some aging joints and ensure things function as they should. It's been a valuable learning experience later in my career, so I hope it proves beneficial."

Healy elaborated on the changes, noting they originated from conversations with a podiatrist she consulted during her recovery from her recent injury.

"One of them phrased it to me like when, and I'm not comparing myself to him, but when Cristiano Ronaldo approached the later stages of his career, they altered his position to ease the strain on his body," Healy told ESPNcricinfo. "It was intriguing, and I pondered how we could apply a similar philosophy in cricket. While we can't change positions, can we adjust techniques to enhance efficiency? We experimented with it.

"(Considering) some of the demanding aspects of my role and the impact on my joints, I aimed to optimize my performance for the latter part of my career. We simply played around with it, creating a hybrid model between the English and our own methods.

"Traditionally, we have been taught to remain low and rise with the ball, which is manageable until your knees and feet can no longer support that movement. So, we have been experimenting with how to reach my power position differently."

Healy is set to return to wicketkeeping in the forthcoming Australia A series against India A, aiming to be fully fit for her role behind the stumps during the World Cup, which kicks off in late September. Australia will prepare for the tournament with a three-match ODI series against India.

"I’ll give it my all in the ODI fixtures during that A-series, allowing us to better evaluate how my adjustments are functioning," she remarked. "My objective is to participate as a wicketkeeper in the World Cup, and I hope that becomes a reality."

The multiformat series against India consists of three T20Is, three ODIs, and culminates with a day-night Test match at the WACA in Perth.