Calcutta: For the young cricketers of Bengal, Friday morning was an experience of a lifetime. Sourav Ganguly held a 40-minute motivational session and the future stars of Bengal cricket listened in rapt attention.
This was the first time that Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) organised something like this and going by the mood of the young cricketers they liked it to the hilt.
Sourav told them they should make their own destiny. “If somebody tells you to play like Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid, do not listen to him. They never followed anyone. They did what they felt was right. So do what you feel is good for you.”
For promising batsman Ankit Kesri this is something he never expected. “He told us to be what we are… And that was very new to us. Generally we are told to be like someone and he said to be someone. It’s really motivating. He spoke about cricket in general and this is a great learning experience. We too lobbed in a few questions and he was very candid in his replies,” the Under-19 player said.
Sourav later said these types of motivational sessions are good, “but at the end of the day it’s the cricketer who will have to fight in the 22-yard strip.” Bengal’s newly-appointed coaching committee chairman said he enjoyed the session with the cricketers and found them quite intelligent.
“I think they are smart and have a clear mind. Now it’s up to them how they shape their future,” the former India captain said.
The Sourav Mantra
Life of a cricketer is like a boxer in the ring... You will get hit by your rival. Take it on the chin and fight back... Practice and hardwork are the key to success... Forget your family, friends and girlfriends. They can wait. You should only focus on cricket. There will be days when you will not feel like getting out of the bed at 5.30 in the morning. You will have to kick yourself and come to ground. Look, when I was out of the Indian team I didn’t lose heart. I fought back. Yes I did feel frustrated but didn’t show my anger. I let my performance do the talking.
This is a very crucial period of your career. This is the time you have to take a call on your future. Whether you will take cricket as a career or join some other profession… Studies and cricket are both important… In other professions you mature at the age of 30 but an average cricketer’s professional life is from 19 to 33. So this is the time to decide which way you should go.
If somebody tells you to play like Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid, do not listen to him. They never followed anyone. They did what they felt was right. So do what you feel is good for you. Be what we are… Achievers never try to be to be like someone and they always try to be someone.
When I was of your age I used to stand in front of the mirror and say ‘I am the best’... This is not arrogance… It’s just another way of motivating yourself. But learn to respect people. If you do not respect others how can you expect the same from them?
Take a leaf out of the Aussie book. They are always competitive. Take Steve Waugh for example. Most of the time he used to come to crease when the chips are down. And this man used to bail the team out. They have the hunger for success. Take the Oval Test. They had already lost the Ashes but Michael Clarke still did that bold declaration at the Oval. This is because Australians believe in positive thinking. That’s why they have been so successful in the last decade.
Sachin Tendulkar once told me his target was to score a 100 in every Test series... But if you see his career he has got 51 hundreds and 67 fifties in those 327 innings he has played in his 198-Test match career. That means by his own lofty standards he failed in 109 innings. What I am trying to say is you cannot succeed in every match you play. There will be failures and you have learn from them. These failures will build the road for your success. Cricket is a game of patience. Be patient and work hard. If you are honest with yourself, nobody can stop you from making it big.
Courtesy : The Telegraph
This was the first time that Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) organised something like this and going by the mood of the young cricketers they liked it to the hilt.
Sourav told them they should make their own destiny. “If somebody tells you to play like Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid, do not listen to him. They never followed anyone. They did what they felt was right. So do what you feel is good for you.”
For promising batsman Ankit Kesri this is something he never expected. “He told us to be what we are… And that was very new to us. Generally we are told to be like someone and he said to be someone. It’s really motivating. He spoke about cricket in general and this is a great learning experience. We too lobbed in a few questions and he was very candid in his replies,” the Under-19 player said.
Sourav later said these types of motivational sessions are good, “but at the end of the day it’s the cricketer who will have to fight in the 22-yard strip.” Bengal’s newly-appointed coaching committee chairman said he enjoyed the session with the cricketers and found them quite intelligent.
“I think they are smart and have a clear mind. Now it’s up to them how they shape their future,” the former India captain said.
The Sourav Mantra
Life of a cricketer is like a boxer in the ring... You will get hit by your rival. Take it on the chin and fight back... Practice and hardwork are the key to success... Forget your family, friends and girlfriends. They can wait. You should only focus on cricket. There will be days when you will not feel like getting out of the bed at 5.30 in the morning. You will have to kick yourself and come to ground. Look, when I was out of the Indian team I didn’t lose heart. I fought back. Yes I did feel frustrated but didn’t show my anger. I let my performance do the talking.
This is a very crucial period of your career. This is the time you have to take a call on your future. Whether you will take cricket as a career or join some other profession… Studies and cricket are both important… In other professions you mature at the age of 30 but an average cricketer’s professional life is from 19 to 33. So this is the time to decide which way you should go.
If somebody tells you to play like Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid, do not listen to him. They never followed anyone. They did what they felt was right. So do what you feel is good for you. Be what we are… Achievers never try to be to be like someone and they always try to be someone.
When I was of your age I used to stand in front of the mirror and say ‘I am the best’... This is not arrogance… It’s just another way of motivating yourself. But learn to respect people. If you do not respect others how can you expect the same from them?
Take a leaf out of the Aussie book. They are always competitive. Take Steve Waugh for example. Most of the time he used to come to crease when the chips are down. And this man used to bail the team out. They have the hunger for success. Take the Oval Test. They had already lost the Ashes but Michael Clarke still did that bold declaration at the Oval. This is because Australians believe in positive thinking. That’s why they have been so successful in the last decade.
Sachin Tendulkar once told me his target was to score a 100 in every Test series... But if you see his career he has got 51 hundreds and 67 fifties in those 327 innings he has played in his 198-Test match career. That means by his own lofty standards he failed in 109 innings. What I am trying to say is you cannot succeed in every match you play. There will be failures and you have learn from them. These failures will build the road for your success. Cricket is a game of patience. Be patient and work hard. If you are honest with yourself, nobody can stop you from making it big.
Courtesy : The Telegraph
