Cricket's most famous mental expert, who had sessions with the Indian team in 2006, says a vengeful attitude towards Bangladesh could be disastrous today
Cricket's most famous mental expert, who had sessions with the Indian team in 2006, says a vengeful attitude towards Bangladesh could be disastrous today
If Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Indian team have revenge on their mind for today's World Cup opener against Bangladesh in Mirpur, their line of thought could prove disastrous, feels cricket's best-known psychologist
Dr Rudi Webster.
Webster had sessions with Rahul Dravid's team when they toured the West Indies for a Test and one-day series in 2006, the year before they were defeated by Bangladesh in Game One at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.
A few players like Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have been recently quoted as saying that they have revenge on their mind for today's match.
"If I was advising them (Indian team), I would try and move them from that past because revenge is about the past," Webster (71) told MiD DAY from Grenada. The former Scotland and Warwickshire player helped stalwarts like Greg Chappell and Viv Richards with his mental expertise. Chats with Chappell helped the Australian to get over his run drought in 1981-82 and Richards was a beneficiary of Webster's teachings on the 1975-76 Test tour of Australia when the visitors lost 1-5.
It was during Chappell's term as India coach that Webster was roped in as psychologist. "Revenge is a very dangerous thing because being trapped in the past sometimes can interfere with your judgement and performance," said Webster. "That 2007 World Cup is over. This is a new event and India have to do the fundamental things better than Bangladesh.
"India is a different team now. They have got a fantastic side and I feel that they should forget all that foolishness about revenge and beat Bangladesh as badly as they can, and at the end of the game, just have a quiet sort of smile to themselves and say, 'well, that makes up for last time.'
"In sport, particularly when you are out there in the middle, your focus has to be on things that are going on in the present. You are where your mind is. There are two very dangerous things in performance ufffd one is getting trapped in the past or thinking far too ahead in the future. The second one is thinking about all sorts of foolish things instead of the things you have to do on the field. In both cases, your concentration is in the wrong place."
Incidentally, India went on to win a Test series in the Caribbean only for the second time in their history, during Webster's short stint with the team. When Dravid's men played the World Cup the following year, they took an early flight home after losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the eventual finalists.
The manner in which India have bounced back to be considered favourites for this edition of the World Cup has not surprised Webster. "I always felt that you had some people in the team that were absolutely brilliant. I had a lot of confidence in Dhoni. I felt he was going to be a tremendous leader and there were others who I thought would have gone on to do better. India has a good chance to win the World Cup, but it will require a lot of discipline," he said.
Where Sehwag scores over greats like Sobers, Pollock, Viv and Sachin...
Dr Rudi Webster on Virender Sehwag:
I have been watching cricket for a very long time and I haven't seen anyone strike the ball as well as Sehwag does and that includes Garfield Sobers, Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Graeme Pollock. A Sehwag only comes along once in a generation. He has always been special. He had some problems which he ironed out. I am not surprised at anything that he has done. But if he could correct one or two things that sometimes gets him out, he would become, without a doubt in my mind, the best batsman in the world. I wouldn't tell him to be cautious. When you go there with the attitude of being cautious, your number one aim is, 'I mustn't get out.' Your whole game changes if the idea is not to get out. He has to play his own game, but what he must do is be a little more selective in (shot selection) and use his judgement a little better.
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