‘How to execute your skill set?’ Mitchel Starc’s final over against Rajasthan Royals can be used to not just answer the question, but also to set it as a template for other bowlers to make themselves mentally stronger. Starc didn’t try a spate of variations. Instead, he zoomed in on employing just the yorker. The keynote to Starc’s success: Being very good at implementing that one skill, alongside locating an erase button in his mind to delete the previous ball.
Let’s delve deeper into the six deliveries that Starc bowled in the last over. The first offering was a yorker that swung away a hint. All that Shimron Hetmyer could do was to squeeze out the delivery for a single. For the right-hand Dhruv Jurel, too, Starc kept it simple. He went back to his tried and tested method of bowling from wide of the crease and tailing one into Jurel.
Just pore through the final frame of the aforesaid delivery, and you will observe that it was just inside the tramline. In other words, top-class execution as Axar Patel clapped in appreciation. Once again, all that Jurel could do was pinch a single. With Hetmyer, it was back to moving the ball just enough and away from the left-hander. For the third time in a row, he nailed the toe-crusher to near-perfection. Starc also didn’t provide any room.
Ultimately, Starc missed the execution part on his fourth ball by a fraction. Unfortunately for RR, Hetmyer could only eke out a thick outside edge towards extra cover, with the batting pair collecting a double. Starc followed that up with two more yorkers and restricted the opponent to just a couple of runs. From nowhere, he had helped DC to sneak their way into a Super Over.
Starc’s job wasn’t over yet. On expected lines, he was entrusted with the enormous task of bowling the Super Over. This time around, there were a couple of extras against his name. The left-arm pace bowler still chiselled out a way and kept RR down to just 11 runs. It is true that below par running-between-the-wickets also was instrumental in RR not being able press the accelerator. But some credit has to go to Starc for not losing his focus.
Starc’s heroics also make you ponder about his mindset. Is he someone who just doesn’t feel the pressure? The answer to it is a firm no. Even in the final over of RR’s innings, Starc was seen wiping his forehead two-three times. An indicator that he was also a tad anxious. Just that top sportspersons know how to soak in the pressure.
Novak Djokovic, the tennis great, had to say this about the mental side of things: “Mental strength is not a gift. It is something that comes with work. Conscious breathing is a big part of it, especially in moments when you’re under tension. I don’t like this mindset which I see a lot in sports, ‘just think positive thoughts, be optimistic, there is no room for failure.’ It is impossible, you’re a human being.
“The difference I guess between the guys who are the biggest champions and the ones that are struggling to get to that level is the ability to not stay in those emotions for too long. As soon as I experience it, I acknowledge it, maybe I burst out or scream on the court, but I am able to bounce back and reset.”
Starc could be following similar methods. Or it might be something else that works for him. The fact of the matter is that with experience he has understood how to control his emotions and stay in the moment. In the DC-RR game, he put on an exhibition of his mental strength, which in turn steered DC to a thrilling victory.