‘FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO LEAD CHAMPIONS’
IT TAKES A MENTOR TO CREATE STARS. THOSE WHO GO BEYOND THE CHECK-THE-BOX ENGAGEMENT METRICS TO DIG IN AND DO DEEPER WORK OF DEVELOPING TALENT. BEHIND THE STELLAR PERFORMANCE OF INDIA’S BADMINTON AND CRICKET PLAYERS, THERE STAND SOURAV GANGULY, FORMER TEAM INDIA SKIPPER, AND PULLELA GOPICHAND, THE CHIEF NATIONAL COACH FOR THE INDIAN BADMINTON TEAM—TWO SUCH MENTORS IN THE CHANGING, MORE TECH-ENABLED ENVIRONMENT OF GLOBAL SPORT
“We were a different side at home and a different side when we travelled. I realised that when I played my first Test at Lord’s. I was fortunate enough to get back-to-back hundreds, but I realised that when you enter the dressing room, you have so much talent, yet you just did not know how to win abroad. For me, it was a change of culture, change of fitness. We went to England with four spinners and we were going in the month of May, which is absolutely cold and freezing. And to play England in the first match at Edgbaston, with two fast bowlers and three spinners, was almost suicidal. We still believed that like the eras of Bishan Singh Bedi, Prasanna and Chandrashekhar, we could still win overseas with spinners. The entire culture had to change, the mindset had to change, the way we played Test cricket had to change and we needed to get fit. We needed fast bowlers to get wickets. Indian cricket always had batting. Before me, there was Gavaskar, Mohinder, Vishwanath. I was fortunate enough to lead some champions: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman. So, India always had the batting, but the difference was the fitness culture and the way the fast bowlers bowled overseas. Virat Kohli’s team has the potential to win. India will win Test series in England. They have the attack. Bowlers bowled exceptionally well in South Africa. They have the bowling attack to pick 20 wickets in a match. This team has the batting and they have the bowling too. Indian cricket always has had batsmen who will put 400 runs on the board. And the difference now is that when they put 400 runs on the board, you also have bowlers to pick 20 wickets.”
Indian cricket always had batsmen who could put 400 runs on board. Now they also have bowlers who can pick 20 wickets”