newspider.in
- Business
- November 19, 2024
- 18 views
EXCLUSIVE | Dealing with tragedy: Mohammed Siraj’s 2020 heartbreak and the importance of mental conditioning for cricketers
Mohammed Siraj (Reuters Photo) NEW DELHI: India pacer Mohammed Siraj was practicing in Australia during the 2020-21 tour when he received the devastating news of his father’s death. The heartbreaking message was conveyed to him by Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri. Overwhelmed with grief, Siraj rushed to his hotel room and broke down.Siraj had the option to return home to be with his family during this difficult time. However, he ultimately chose to stay with the team, a decision largely influenced by the unwavering support he received from Kohli, Shastri, and other senior members of the squad, who provided him with the emotional strength to endure the ordeal.Putting the personal tragedy aside, Siraj opted to serve his nation. In the Melbourne Test, he claimed five wickets, playing a crucial role in India’s eight-wicket victory. Australia batters will find it difficult and have issues of their own He followed it up with two wickets in the drawn Sydney Test before delivering a stellar performance in the fourth Test, where his five-wicket haul dismantled Australia’s batting lineup, securing India’s three-wicket victory and a historic 2-1 series win.While Siraj was instrumental in India’s triumph, the pain of losing his father and being unable to say a final goodbye will always linger.This is where the role of a mental conditioning coach becomes crucial — helping players navigate deeply emotional and challenging moments while maintaining focus on their performance.With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaching, some players will be away from their families for extended periods.TimesofIndia.com caught up with Jody Martins, a South African mental and conditioning coach, to discuss how he supports players during such tough times, his work with Temba Bavuma, his experience with the Kerala cricket team, his collaboration with star batter Sanju Samson, and more … As a mental conditioning coach, what are the core principles you focus on to help athletes deliver peak performance under pressure?This is a great question. What I…
Read more
- Sports
- October 3, 2024
- 38 views
Exclusive | Women’s T20 World Cup: ‘I see India going out in the semi-final’ | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: The Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner, and excitement is building up worldwide for this much-anticipated cricketing spectacle. Six-time champions Australia enter the tournament brimming with confidence and are considered firm favourites to defend their title.India, meanwhile, would like to build up on the fiery start to their World Cup campaign as they beat West Indies and South Africa in convincing fashion in the warm-up fixtures.The Harmanpreet Kaur-led unit is placed in a stiff group which also features Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and there are countless possibilities of upsets during the multi-nation event.An avid women’s cricket enthusiast Georgie Heath, a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC, owners of Lord’s Cricket Ground) Foundation ambassador who has been all over the world covering women’s cricket from the best seat in the commentary boxes, had a candid chat with TimesofIndia.com on sidelines of Legends of Cricket. Edited excerpts:Q) Initially, the venue for the T20 World Cup was Bangladesh. Then, it was shifted to the UAE. Do you think that it would make any change to the strategies that teams were making before?I think it’s an interesting one because they changed it (the host) before the teams were announced, so that was a good step in the first place. The team that I know very well, the England side, wanted to wait until there was confirmation over where it would be.But I think on the selection side, it has had a little bit of an impact, because if you look at a team like England, they’ve obviously gone pretty all out and out with a pretty spin-heavy attack, and they only got one out-and-out pacer in Lauren Bell, whereas you look at the Australians, and they have gone a little bit more seam-heavy than England.So I think teams are sort of eyeing it up differently. But I do think it will make a difference because it’s not…
Read more
