In both life and the professional realm, individuals experience both highs and lows. This holds true in the world of sports, where one day an athlete may revel in glory, only to face a loss of form the next. Throughout the years, athletes have often sought guidance from seasoned players to regain their peak performance during challenging times.
Sunil Gavaskar, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, recently acknowledged that even esteemed players like Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have reached out to him for advice during their rough patches. Surprisingly, Gavaskar expressed astonishment that none of the current Indian cricketers seem to follow this practice, even during their most trying moments, which led him to take a sharp jab at their egos. In response to Gavaskar's comment, his former colleague Kapil Dev delivered a resounding and impactful retort.
In an interview with the Indian Express in June, following India's loss in the World Test Championship final, Gavaskar shared a story about how he had once assisted Sehwag in enhancing his batting skills through a simple phone call. However, he expressed his bewilderment at the current Indian players' reluctance to seek guidance from former cricketers.
"No, no one has come. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman regularly came to me. And they would approach me with a specific problem and you could tell them something which you had observed. I don't have an ego about this, I could go and talk to them but since there are two coaches — Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathore – so sometimes you hold back since you don’t want to confuse them with too much information," he had said.
In his interview with The Week, Kapil spoke about the topic and highlighted the dual nature of confidence among present-day Indian batters. On one hand, confidence is a positive trait, but on the other hand, it can lead to a sense of knowing everything. Kapil further expressed his concern that the invasion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Indian cricket has contributed to this arrogance, as it offers substantial financial rewards early in a cricketer's career.
"Differences come out, the good (thing) about these players...is that they are very confident. Negative point is they think they know everything. I don't know how to put it better than that. But they are confident, but they think 'you don't have to ask anybody'. What we believe is an experienced person can help you," Kapil said.
"Sometimes when there is too much money, arrogance comes. These cricketers think they know everything. That's the difference. I would say there are so many cricketers who need help. When Sunil Gavaskar is there, why can't you talk? Where is the ego? There is no ego as such. They feel 'we are good enough'. Maybe they are good enough, but extra help from somebody who has seen 50 seasons of cricket, he knows things. Listening sometimes can change your thought."
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