I host events for a living. But then, only very few leave a mark. Monday night at the Eden Gardens was one such. When you have Sourav Ganguly, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Mohammed Shami on stage with you and more than 100 young cricketers, men and women, in front of you as audience, it is your responsibility to ensure that those youth find the programme meaningful. That’s what I tried to do, and in the process, learnt a lot.
Sample this from Shami. When I asked him what kept him going these painful 15 months since the 2023 World Cup, his answer was candid and honest. “Hunger,” he said. “That’s what kept me going. At no point did I ever think of giving up. The dream was always to make a comeback. Wear that blue jersey again.” Addressing the young cricketers, Shami went on to say, “I pray that each one of you get to wear the India jersey at least once in your career. It is the one thing that fulfils a cricketer.”
Mithali, arguably the greatest batter the women’s game has seen, was all poise and grace much like her batting. Responding to a question on the one aspect that defines the Mithali story, she said, “Discipline. That’s the one thing I’d say to these young men and women that has helped me evolve as a cricketer. As an active player, it was always about getting up early for practice. The very boring is what makes you. The mundane routine day in and day out. But that’s where you become a better cricketer. After retirement, I don’t get up early anymore, but during my playing days, never did I compromise with discipline.”
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Jhulan, the greatest bowler the game has seen, beautifully addressed the issue of failure. When I asked her that while everyone sets out to be a Mithali or a Jhulan or a Shami, not even one percent would eventually fulfil their dreams. So how does one deal with the failure of dreams turning sour? Jhulan’s reply was excellent. “You don’t think of failure when you set out to play the game,” she said. “You play the game because you love it. The joy of doing so is what should drive you. Just live the game and it will take you somewhere. Spend a little less time on social media or on the mobile and spend a little more time training.”
Finally to Ganguly. With so many leaks coming out and the negativity around – which these young cricketers are reading about day in and day out – how did he see Indian cricket getting back on track?
“There are negatives everywhere,” said Ganguly. “Not just in Indian cricket. You need to be able to adapt. Deal with adversity. That’s what sport is all about. Take the Champions Trophy. I can tell you India will go in as the favourite. Yes, they haven’t played well in red-ball cricket in recent times but look at their white-ball record. They won the World T20 and were runner-up in the 50-over World Cup. In the two tournaments, out of a good 20 matches, they lost just one game. They will come back strong.”
Hope and optimism. That was what defined the evening. I’d love to believe the young cricketers got something out of it.
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