CHENNAI: The pandemic and lockdown have led to many players confessing about mental health. With no international matches in the immediate future, they are a worried lot. Former India opener Sujith Somasunder, who is the head of BCCI-NCA Education and a life coach, says it is indeed challenging for cricketers and only the mentally tough will emerge triumphant. In a chat with Express, he said one need not be ashamed of mental illness and seek clinical help.
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During lockdown, Mohammed Shami and Robin Uthappa revealed having suicidal tendencies. Dodda Ganesh, too, spoke of depression. Why do cricketers get such negative thoughts?
When there is so much competition, many of them attach performance to their self worth. So once this attachment happens and things don't go according to what they want, they start feeling worthless. They might see a future that is hopeless. This leads to depression and negative thoughts.
What is the way out?
Depression and anxiety is a clinical case. That has to be treated. It is like if somebody has diabetes, can you ask them to think positive and say everything will be alright? No. They have to take medicines. Similarly, cricketers have to seek help from a clinical psychologist, take antidepressants sometimes and things like that.
Cricket activities have been halted for months. Training is slowly beginning but cricketers are worried about their future. Your advice...
When you always think of a future that is not certain, worry is bound to happen. So we say we only think of something that we can control. That is the cliché. As cricketers and sportsmen, when we are not certain about what is going to happen, there is no point thinking about it. The best thing for any sportsman or cricketer is to look at what they can do under the circumstances. What are some of the other things they can focus on. There are many other things in life, cricket is just one aspect. They can focus on other areas and engage positively.
For Indians, there may not be any international cricket until the Australia series at the end of this year. What about those who find training without matches boring?
When schedules go haywire, plans get upset. What I would say is, replace expectations with small and manageable action goals and engage in those. The first thing one has to do is accept the situation. If you live in denial, it will keep upsetting people. You can't keep living in denial or resist what is happening. You got to first accept and then there will be room for other ideas to come in.
Several bowlers want to know how to get rid of the saliva habit...
Applying saliva is a technical issue. It is used by fast bowlers to get shine and by spinners to get a good grip. Now that only sweat is allowed, they must tune their mind to not put their hand into the mouth and rub the ball. They must start practising this so that when matches start, automatically the mind will prompt you not to apply saliva on the ball.
Age fudging is rampant in many parts of the country. How to prevent this?
It's human psychology that you want to win and take advantage of situations. This (age fudging) has been there and is going to be there. Parents are so attached to their kids and want to make them successful, that they go to any extent to make their kids perform and become famous. We at NCA tell them that by masking age, performance will not go up. We insist there is no substitute for hard work. We tell them that only about 5% of those who played for India U-19 will represent India at the senior level. We tell them the perils of being labelled as cheats.
Uncertain future, loss of revenue due to Covid-19 and inability to lead a particular lifestyle could tempt players to be corrupt and fix matches. How do you propose to tackle this?
They need to be educated. They need to be constantly reminded of the virtues of being a good cricketer. From a young age, cricketers need to be educated so that they develop the mindset of following the right path. Parents, coaches, associations need to drive this point home. We pass on the message that illegal and immoral activities will take them nowhere. We instil fear in them by saying that by making a fast buck they will lose their name and self-esteem. We tell them that once they are caught, it is the end of their cricketing life.
Take Sandpapergate of 2018. If a cricketer is in a similar situation today to Cameron Bancroft, what he should do?
You have to play by the rules. If your leader, your parents or anybody for that matter, is asking you to do something illegal, then it is within everyone's right to report it or follow one's own conscience. It is important to be honest and truthful, because eventually everyone will support you because you did the right thing.
What is the biggest challenge as a life coach?
The biggest challenge is to help players, coaches, or whoever I interact with at the NCA-Education wing. It is about staying positive, being optimistic in achieving goals. I try to get those who interact with me into a positive frame of mind. I tell them to follow the same with others. The biggest challenge is to help people perform to their potential without negative thoughts.
Finally, how is it to have Rahul Dravid as the head of NCA?
Cricket is lucky to have a player like Dravid. He is a role model and his deeds on and off the field is a good example for all cricketers who come to NCA. He uses his vast experience as a cricketer in planning things. Those who come here return enriched.