By Yajurvindra Singh The well-known book “We are just like that” written by Rama Bijapurkar regarding understanding the reasoning of people in India and is relevant to how cricket is played today.
“We play cricket as if only” is the way that cricket in the world is performed by teams in these days.
Cricketers are told to communicate in the way that they are comfortable with, without worry about what might happen.
This could be a aggressive and powerful approach of taking on the sport of cricket.
However, in the majority of cases it eludes the fundamental understanding and logic of the situation that one is in.
Test cricket was played in a natural way between teams in order to win.However it also taught one to avoid losing when one was not properly placed.English cricket with the new ‘Bazball’ style of aggression might have resulted in a win against New Zealand, but, it was a flop in the face of South Africa recently.
One was shocked to observe the England captain, Ben Stokes, stepping out in front of his first delivery , and luckily for the captain, he was unable to make it through.England ended up losing the match.
lose the game and there was no regret in their loss.
This is the way they stated that they would be playing Test cricket “live through the sword and die by the sword”.
The interesting thing to watch is in how they react to losing consistently because luck may never be with them.
Batters from all over the world appear to be taking an extremely aggressive approach currently in which they usually win within the first four innings.
India is also moving towards this aggressive strategy and with the success of Rishabh Pant One gets the impression that the other players in Team India are also following in the footsteps of Rishabh Pant.
Two of the most important qualities one must excel in during Test cricket was concentration and patience.
The top averages of legendary batters who have had success in the past displayed these two traits in abundance.The current style of life, in which people are promoting themselves as a star has transformed the cricketer into a showman , rather than an intelligent thinker.
The glamour quotient that comes with the cricketer’s status as an international star has turned one into an exhibitor at the very core.
The media and the digital world might have made a cricketer famous but they have also been exposed to mental and emotional health issues too.Many of them, like of Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, Glenn Maxwell and a host of others from other sports have been brave to share the mental health issues they are experiencing.This might not have been as thoroughly examined in the past, but it is a huge issue today.
Virat Kohli was always considered to be a player who could easily get rid of an emotional trauma.He demonstrated this when he was able to play an important game in the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi following the death of his father the very next morning.
After having overcome such a difficult situation, one is amazed at the mental health issues he has revealed he has had to face in recent years.
Virat Kohli, a successful cricketer who has reached the top level in his profession only to succumb to a mental illness is a cause for concern for the many others who don’t have the courage to discuss it.It is easy to say that cricketers do this however, for a young or not-yet-established player, their career could be at risk.
It is now a given that every international team have an emotional health coach with them.
This is as crucial as bowling, batting and fielding coach.To expect a cricket coach to perform this job, you need someone who has completed a course in this field.
Cricket and mental or psychological health issues are two very distinct problems.
The current cricketer is playing almost all the time.
The hotel stay and travel can be a hassle particularly when one is separated from family and close ones for an extended period of time.Cricket boards have sometimes, permitted kids and spouses to be part of the players.
However it is an in-between solution, and not one that can be used to rejuvenate one.
The ICC and the boards of the nations that play cricket need to tackle the mental health issues of cricketers with a lot of urgency.This is just as big of an issue as what the players face in other aspects of the game.One must view it as a condition and the faster one is able to get assistance and recover from it the better for everyone involved.
The cricket fans and their eyes, in the near future will be focused at the Asia Cup.Virat Kohli with an extra month to recover from his mental fatigue is the central of attention of everyone’s attention.His performance and manner of conduct will show whether he has overcome the mental health issues.If he has, one could find many cricketers following in his steps.
The organizers of the Asia Cup should be congratulated.They have assured that India will face Pakistan at least two times, and possibly three times in the final.
The two most prestigious Asian teams have the minion, Hong Kong, to play in the first qualifier.The four teams that are selected for Group A and B play against each the other.
The India against Pakistan match on the 28th of August 2022 will be an indication of what is to follow.The loser could still be able to qualify with a victory over Hong Kong.
Both Pakistan and India are without their primary fast bowler because of injuries.Both appear fragile in the bowling department for pace.Batting will be the primary driver.But mental strength will play an important role and one hopes that Virat Kohli has beaten the demons that plagued his in the past.
Best of luck to you all in India!
(Yajurvindra Singh was an ex- India cricketer)
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