When Sir Garry Sobers lost his close friend and fellow West Indies player Collie Smith (age 26) in a 1959 car accident, he became a reckless character, say historians.
Whenu00a0Sir Garry Sobers lost his close friend and fellow West Indies player Collie Smith (age 26) in a 1959 car accident, he became a reckless character, say historians.
So his captain Sir Frank Worrell took him aside and reminded him that since he had drunk enough for both himself and the deceased teammate it was time to play good cricket for himself and Smith. Worrell's words of wisdom had an emphatic effect on the great all-rounder, who started performing his heroics never to look back.
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Wonder who played the role of a Worrell in New Zealand all-rounder Jesse Ryder's case, but it is learnt that former NZ great and India coach John Wright has helped him get back on track.
Ryder has clearly emerged the star of the series. Which batsman wouldn't be that after scoring a century in the first Test and following it up with a double hundred in the second apart from making an impact with the ball too? Ryder has faced and conquered many a storm and his drinking problems have been well documented.
"Jesse's had some tough times; ups and downs. We hope he's over that. He certainly seems happiest when he is batting," Wright told MiD DAY from New Zealand yesterday. Like the NZ selector, Ryder is a left-handed batsman.
Asked about his chats with the 24-year-old star, Wright said with a chuckle, "I keep telling him to play straight and when you get in, stay in.
Sound technique
"You don't have to say much to Jesse. He is technically very good, but he is also very patient. I'm really pleased with the patience he has shown in this series. We hadn't seen that side to his game, but his maturity and patience have been exceptional," said Wright.
Ryder has faced 517 balls for his 324 runs and enjoys a strike rate 62.66. He is no blocker for sure.
Wright ruled out talk of NZ cricket's hitherto "wild thing" being carried away by his series success. And that is no good news for India. "He is pretty hungry for the third Test. He needs to be just that; NZ need him to play well. Everyone's aware that we have a pretty young batting line-up. So there's huge responsibility on very young shoulders," said Wright, who had no doubts that Friday's Test will not be a comfortable one for the Indians in comparison to the game in Napier.
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