Playing a sport is demanding. Playing a sport for your
country is even more demanding. The game of cricket has seen so many players
represent their country with distinction, some of them even playing for as long
as 15-20 years. Today, cricketers rarely play beyond 2-3 years for a variety
of reasons, not having contributed enough to leave their indelible mark on the
game. I could not help but think what action cricketers could take to increase
the chances of their success as well as the length of time they play for their
country (not by too much, but sufficient enough to reap their potential). The response
that my mind gave me was a cricketer needs to cultivate new skills.
Augmenting the skills that a cricketer possesses is vital in
determining the career success that he achieves. It could also be an indication
of the length of time that he could play for his country. A batsman or a bowler
should not be at ease with the skills that he has. In improving those skills,
there is the advantage of surprise that you can give your opponents. Of course,
these improvements or augmentation cannot happen overnight but the earlier a
player takes the effort, and prepares his mind for it, the better the chances
of success. A cricketer who is past 30 may not be as successful in this
exercise as one who has just turned 20, but the efforts could be well worth it.
For a batsman, this could mean learning to bat both ways –
right handed as well as left handed. Every batsman has an innate side and
should choose that, always. But it would be a whole lot better to become
skilled at batting the other way round as well. It is not as simple as altering
the bat grip, but it is as hard as conquering the mind. The view from the opposite
side can really do wonders to your game. The different perspective could serve in
strengthening the skills and ironing out the weak spots. It helps to keep a
positive spin on things – for example, if you are out of form batting right
handed, switching to left handed may be the solution to find the runs flowing
again. Of course, sheer hard work would be the motto to get to a level where you can
bat both ways. This is an invaluable asset and the earlier this is perfected,
the better.
Bowlers are a bit of a difficult proposition. Because there
are different kinds of bowlers, it is important to discover what you really
need to learn. Obviously a spinner cannot choose to toggle between fast bowling
and spin as the demands are poles apart. However, there is nothing that
prevents a spinner from switching between off spin, leg spin and left arm spin
or a fast bowler to switch from seam to swing or even go ambidextrous. Again,
there is a massive adjustment required to the technique. The body should be equipped
to master these additional skills. Also important is the judicious utilization
- a bowler has a greater chance of getting it wrong than a batsman. Therefore,
for a bowler, these skills need to be acquired much earlier than a batsman.
Just imagine the advantages of catching your opponents on the wrong foot just
when your team needs that extra fizz! The moment predictability is taken out of
the equation, the game becomes much more intense and competitive.
The benefits that come out of augmenting these skills could
be mind boggling. It is very evident that coaches have a very important role to
play in grooming cricketers for this radical change in their technique as well
as mindset. Players always look to their coaches when something like this needs to
be done. This is hard to implement, but certainly not impossible. The BCCI as
well as all the other cricket boards have the responsibility to see that the
coaching manuals give due weight to the aspect of improving skills. The coaches
need to be effectively educated to enable them to make their wards grasp the
importance of an approach that constantly challenges the skills they have and
aim for something extra. This is a crucial step in ensuring that we continue to
turn out great players who can challenge the records and achievements of those
who have walked before them.
Like in any aspect of life, unless we improve upon what we
have, things tend to be mundane. With the proliferation of so many
international games and a packed cricket calendar, it is no wonder that cricket
boards are forced to rest some of their best performers from some of the
matches in an effort to keep them fit for more important games. I believe
cricketers can appreciate much more about the game and strategize with greater
effect if they possess a basket of skills that they could use, rather than just
one or two. It is challenges like these that bring out the best sportsmen and
let us hope that we continue to have legends in the game of cricket. The next
10 years will no doubt be about cricketers who have multiple skills to adapt to
the demands of a game that just keeps on growing. The cricket boards the world
over have an unenviable task to ensure that the system recognizes this aspect
right from the grassroots.
No comments:
Post a Comment