What the Indian team really needs is a sports psychologist
The recent series between India and Sri Lanka threw up more questions than answers besides exposing various aspects that need to be worked on
Woorkheri Raman
05-Sep-2001
The recent series between India and Sri Lanka threw up more
questions than answers besides exposing various aspects that
need to be worked on. Sourav Ganguly, for the best part of the
series was under pressure with his head on the chopping block,
and this did not make his job any easier. His lackluster form
and the fact that he was missing his best players to injuries
have seen the Indian captain fall on hard days. But for the
win in the second Test, which was engineered by the captain
and his deputy, this recent series would have been better
forgotten.
Sourav Ganguly was fairly candid while summing up his team's
performance during the post match press conference. In total
contrast, the words the coach of the Indian team used
suggested that he was looking for straws to clutch onto.
Wright's criticism about some cricketers lacking basics
reflects more on himself rather than on the players. It is his
job to try and get the cricketers' basics right before they
take the field. A fair question which crops up is, 'why were
cricketers found wanting in the basics of the game played in
the final eleven? '
Even though the end result went against the Indians, they
showed that they could win by adopting the right attitude as
they did in Kandy. Unfortunately that did not happen at the
SSC with the middle order failing in both the innings. The
Indians failing at the final hurdle both in the one-dayers and
the Tests is due to lack of application rather than anything
else. This was very obvious when one saw the way the batting
crumbled when it mattered most. The openers, Das and Ramesh
were up to the task, providing good starts in the Test
matches. The middle order had a lot of inexperience with the
bulk of the responsibility resting on Dravid's shoulders.
The most obvious lesson was that the Indian team does have to
work on the mental aspects of the game. Surprisingly enough,
this aspect has been ignored over the years. It is no secret
that mental toughness separates the winners from the losers
and yet nothing has been done in this direction. Never has
there been a more pressing need for a sports psychologist than
now. The team is in its transition phase and winning the next
World Cup seems to be on the agenda. Indian cricket has a
consultant for the development of domestic cricket but the
national team is not provided with the most important
specialist.
There have been attempts to get someone to psychologically
toughen the Indian cricketers but the people given the jobs
were woefully inadequate for this demanding task. Sports
psychology is a specialist field in itself and as such a
qualified specialist must be engaged to achieve some sort of
results. A specialist will not only toughen the cricketers but
will be very useful for the team management as well by
providing invaluable inputs. The psychologist's evaluation
will also help the selectors in picking cricketers who are
tougher rather than fitter. Let me hasten to add that I am not
against fitness at all, but I am not for fitness prevailing
over the skills of a cricketer when it comes to selection.
Some years ago, Vivian Richards sought the help of a sports
psychologist when he failed with the bat for a brief period.
Needless to add, the master blaster blasted the opposing
bowlers after consulting the psychologist. If it can work for
someone like Richards, then there is no harm in lesser
cricketers trying it out. The question then is "Will the team
management ask for the services of a sports psychologist"?