CHENNAI: "Akki on fire, Akash knows how to take wickets in a T20 game." - Akash Singh, Lucknow Super Giants pacer. "A very painful 15 years. By the divine mercy of Gurudeva ended today. Thanks, Mumbai Indians (Blue and Gold), for giving me this opportunity. Ever grateful." - Raghu Sharma, Mumbai Indians spinner. "This is for you PAPA. Tamaru sapnu aaje puru thayu cricketer motu banine batavyu (Today your dream has come true; I have become a big cricketer)." — Urvil Patel, CSK batter.
Over the last two months, the aforementioned cricketers have grabbed the attention for their stellar cricketing shows in the IPL and celebrating with a piece of paper they had carried onto the field. It even spilled over to the Federation Cup in Ranchi where Gurindervir Singh (sprinter) and Vishal TK (400m) had their respective messages written on the paper to share it with the world after their triumphant run.
Elite athletes carrying a note or a piece of paper onto the field is not a new phenomenon. In the past, former West Indies batter Dinesh Ramdin did it as a reply to legendary Viv Richards. Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abhishek Sharma thanked the fans last year. However, multiple such moments in a single tournament have not happened before. It has even led to an interesting discussion on the subject, how are such moments perceived, whether it is getting repetitive and why the current generation of athletes are perhaps doing it more and more.
Consulting sports psychologist Priyanka Prabhakar sees it primarily as an expression of celebration and joy from the athletes. While acknowledging that athletes acknowledging their journey and hard work is not new, Prabhakar feels this new trend is in line with the evolution of the sporting ecosystem and society in general. "If you see technologically, commercially, and even culturally in the sport culture, there has been so much change. This has got to do more with the fact that athletes today are more expressive and self-aware to a large extent. Athletes are more open these days. The way they express themselves, their emotions has changed," she tells this daily.
The notes, understandably, have meant different things to different athletes. Raghu's was about gratitude. Akash's notes were about reaffirmation, visualisation and self-motivation while Urvil's was a moment of dedication to his father. Prabhakar feels that they are speaking about certain psychological strategies in some way or the other. Something that serves them as a personal anchor. "In the notes that they are carrying basically there are personal goals, reminders, affirmations, etc. They are mainly speaking about the techniques that they mainly use, be it goal-setting, imagery, visualisation, which have been used by athletes for many decades, honestly. And these techniques mainly have helped athletes stay more focused during the moments of stress and pressure, etc. Many of them, when they are carrying these notes, which especially with family significance, it also speaks mainly in terms of an emotional undertone which is actually present. Also speaks about how important support systems are when they are going out there and performing," says Prabhakar who has worked with Sports Authority of India (SAI) in the past.
"When you are competing with something higher, or other than yourself sometimes and maybe you are dedicating it to a family member or to a team or for the fans, the emotional strength and motivation is also coming from there. Because these are very important, especially for athletes under high performance situations, under pressure situations. They might not be just notes because these are the things which help athletes get a lot of grounding. These could be grounding rituals, personal anchors which athletes want to rely on in moments of high pressure, etc. So, instead of getting overwhelmed, it's good to hold on to these things because they will help you perform better," she adds.
This phenomenon of expressing emotions also seems to be in line with the evolution of the society and the Indian family systems in the last two decades or so. Prabhakar believes that it has had a ripple effect in the sporting ecosystem. "Traditionally, athletes were expected to remain humble and 'let the bat do the talking'. There was also a deeply rooted belief that showing too much emotion or happiness could invite criticism or even failure. Today, however, athletes are more comfortable being vulnerable about both their struggles and their successes. If we look at it systemically, parenting styles, school culture and sporting culture have evolved significantly. Younger athletes are increasingly encouraged to have their own voice, express individuality and be authentic about what makes them comfortable or uncomfortable. That naturally influences how they celebrate and communicate emotions. Also I won't just say that about just the notes part of it, even when it comes to mental health issues there have been a lot of athletes who have advocated and spoken about how they have been feeling and what they have been going through," she says.
At the same time, the celebrations have come under criticism from legends, on social media and in commentary box, asking to do away with it. Some even went on to ask where the paper notes are when the said cricketer had a bad day at the office later. Prabhakar, while understanding where the older generation comes from, feels there has to be balance on both sides. "I can understand where the older generation comes from because historically, there was an expectation that athletes first had to prove themselves consistently before they earned the right to celebrate openly. Acceptance was often conditional on sustained performance. In many earlier sporting cultures, emotional restraint was associated with discipline and professionalism. However, sport and society evolve with time. Today’s athletes are growing up in environments that value authenticity, emotional expression and individuality more than before. Celebrating success or expressing emotion does not necessarily take away from competitiveness or professionalism. In fact, for many athletes, these gestures are deeply personal and meaningful rather than performative. I would say that it's good to actually learn and embrace what are the good things from the current generation and what are the good things in us that we can give them, so that way we have a more balanced outlook," Prabhakar explains.
Indeed. It is hard to say whether the aforementioned moments during the IPL season — where the respective cricketers used a paper note to celebrate their moment in the limelight — will stay with the fans, viewers of past generation and new. However, for those athletes and their families, it would remain a moment etched in memory forever.
