Picture Credit: Reuters
India coach and former top-order batter Rahul Dravid has been the epitome of discipline, intensity and calmness. Nicknamed The Wall, Dravid showcased all these qualities on regular basis to create a strong backbone of the Indian team.
Rahul Dravid recently opened up about how he built his mental fortitude with India's first individual Olympic gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra in his podcast 'In the Zone'. He said, "If I look back at my career, that (channelising the energy) was a game-changer. I was really able to channel my mental energy.”
“I used to spend a lot of energy even when I was not playing thinking about my game, worrying about it, and reflecting on it. In time I learned that was not necessarily helping my batting. I needed to refresh and almost find a life outside of cricket,” he added.
Dravid then addressed knowing his limitations as he was aware that he couldn’t replicate Virender Sehwag. Similarly, he spoke about how he was never going to be someone like Sachin Tendulkar who enjoyed scoring quick runs. He said, “Honestly, I was never going to be like Viru (Virender Sehwag).
“He found it much easier to switch off because of his personality. I was never going to get to that level. But I started recognising the red flags, I realised when I was getting too intense. I knew I needed to find a way to switch it off but it was the mental side of the thing that you need to help yourself.”
“As my career progressed, I realised, I was never gonna be someone who will be scoring quickly like a Sehwag did or maybe to an extent as Sachin did. I was always going to need patience. I loved that contest between me and the bowler, sort of tried to make it a one-on-one contest. I found that help me concentrate a bit more,” the Indian coach said.