Be hungry for success, says former India Test cricketer Kulkarni
Muscat — Young Oman cricketers are training hard these days as they gear up for the ICC U19 Men’s CWC Division 2 - Asia Qualifier. The boys will be looking to impress at home and advance to the final round of the Asian Qualifier.
Wishing them the very best for the forthcoming tournament, former Indian Test cricketer Nilesh Kulkarni had some valuable lessons for them during his recent visit to Oman.
In a chat with Oman Cricket’s media consultant, Ashok Purohit, Kulkarni said, “It is a crucial tournament for the youngsters. The very important thing for the teenagers is to enjoy the game.
“They should be hungry for success and never be contended. In one match a cricketer may get a century or pick five wickets. But that shouldn’t make him contended. He should try to do better in the next. That approach will give them success.
“For these youngsters, it is important for them to learn. They should have the ability to learn from the failures. Failure is part and parcel of a cricketer. What defines and determines a top-class cricketer is how to bounce back from failures.”
Kulkarni met Oman Cricket (OC) chairman H E Pankaj Khimji and also visited the Oman Cricket Academy. “The facilities at the Oman Cricket Academy ground are world-class. The infrastructure development and ground is excellent. The vision of Oman Cricket that H E Pankaj Khimji shared with me makes me believe that Oman is on a good wicket. It has certainly all the ingredients to be the best among Associate Nations,” said the former Indian cricketer.
Having retired from cricket in 2007 after a long innings with Mumbai, Kulkarni said that the failure to bag a contract in the inaugural year of Indian Premier League in 2008 forced him to think out of box.
“I think the trigger was IPL launch when I felt that there was scope to do something else than coaching or commentary. IPL saw the growth of sports sector and I decided to set up International Institute of Sports Management (IISM) in 2010.
IISM has been in the forefront of producing professionals over the past decade or more and according to Kulkarni a ‘total of 2,000 students have graduated from IISM’ so far.
Kulkarni said that ‘there has been interest shown by few organisations in Oman’ and he is keen to explore the possibility of cooperation to bring in sports management and sports science courses in the Sultanate.
On the chances of India at the T20 World Cup, Kulkarni said: “India are strong contenders despite the lacklustre showing at the Asia Cup.”