Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid might have refused to take credit for the recent success of the Indian Cricket Team in Australia, but no one could deny the fact that the youngsters whose cricketing knowledge he enriched, helped India win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Dravid's stature, calmness, and assurance played a key role in the success of youngsters like Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, who have learned the hard lessons of international cricket and fearless approach from the former captain.
Coaching and mentoring the young talents at the junior level, Dravid made them match-ready for the highest level and now India is benefitting from it and the recent Test series win in Australia is the best evidence of it. He coached India A and U-19 teams till 2019 and now he is the NCA head.
Now, India has tremendous young bench strength because of Dravid, as he is making a silent and vital contribution to Indian Cricket in shaping up the next generation to form the core of Team India.
Well now, former India mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton also admitted that Dravid is a significant part of young Indian player's success while explaining how a positive culture can help youngsters achieve success in the international arena.
As reported by PTI, Upton said: “The culture around an athlete is the strongest influence on a player's mind. That system and environment are constantly influencing their behavior and that is created as a result of how senior leaders manage and conduct themselves.”
He further added, “So if you have a coach and captain who shouts and screams and gets disappointed when someone makes a mistake, I will show you a team that is filled with fear of failure.
Conversely, for example, the U-19 players that are coming through Rahul Dravid, and we are really seeing the benefits of it in the cricket world.”
Upton, who had previously worked with Dravid in the Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, further noted how Dravid created an aura and groomed youngsters by allowing them to make mistakes.
He further pointed out: “For someone like (Dravid) who doesn't get upset about mistakes, he is allowing mistakes and really freeing the mind of the players to express and perform and if they make mistakes, have a good conversation, so there are an equanimity and calmness.”
Upton signed off by saying, “And that is what then conditions those players' minds. We have seen in the last Test match (in Brisbane), these youngsters coming in a high-pressure situation, I think having come through Dravid is a significant part of their success.”
(With PTI Inputs)
