Sourav must put mind over matter
Sujata Prakash
I don’t know what steps Sourav Ganguly is taking to save his skin and
national pride but if I were him I’d lock myself up in my room, ignore the
hangman standing outside, sit in the lotus position and breathe deeply to
calm myself.
Then I’d put on my favourite uplifting musical score and practice positive
visualisation for hours. I would visualise myself playing stroke after
stroke of brilliant off-drives that would leave the Lankan fielders open
mouthed with wonder. I would ‘see’ myself putting my arms around my
bowlers and asking them nicely to not bowl short and wide and they would
understand the request at once. I would round it off by picturing myself receiving
the man of the match award for great leadership, a fine century and impeccable
behaviour that for once had the referee smiling.
This is not new age hogwash. This, I believe, is the only recourse left to
Ganguly, a man surrounded by dangling nooses and just one mile to go
before
he’s put to sleep.
No amount of coaching will help if the mind has stopped believing in the
power of the self. Top sports psychologist Pete Cohen works with athletes
like Sally Gunnell, Roger Black and Steve Backley and says that each of
these athletes use visualisation to enhance their performance or overcome
fears and mental blocks. For example, Gunnell prepares by thinking about
every detail of the race, rehearses her techniques and pictures herself
winning the Gold.
All of which the beleaguered Indian captain needs to dwell on who, sadly,
seems to have collected enough fears to script a horror film and enough
blocks to build a house. As if his own failures were not enough he has to
handle a team consisting largely of young and inexperienced players ready
to
throw in the towel at the slightest hint of panic in the ranks. To help
matters along to a grand, dismal finale, the media is going overboard in
quoting any and everyone who advocates an off-with-his-head panacea
without
waiting for the series to be over.
Under such circumstances what is a man to do but somehow find the strength
to continue believing he will hold the Gold and fob off the executioners?
The smile of quiet confidence must be displayed on his face and made to
rub
off on the others, even if he has to transfer it with force on a
recalcitrant like Hemang Badani who sports a frown of intense doom be it
on
the field or on the balcony watching the openers get off to a good start.
Players like him make the dourest Englishman look sweet.
Sourav Ganguly has no choice but to live with all the disabilities he is
hampered with. What he and his team would do well to understand is that
the
disabilities are mostly mental and not physical. The injuries to Sachin
Tendulkar and VVS Laxman are minor ones compared to the ones the team has
suffered in the mind as fallout. Each and every player in this team has at
one time or another done something to merit selection to the highest
level,
therefore the exclusion of any player should not rob them of their own
skills.
Hopefully, Ganguly will walk out tomorrow with long, positive strides that
will not falter as the day wears on. For if they do, there is one man next
to him who looks ready to take his place -- and this man would make even
Pete Cohen nod with approval.
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